I think something must be wrong with that equation (but not the conclusion). I had a dripping tap recently, but the relative who fixes these things for me for free was away on a week's fishing trip. Until he returned, I placed a 2 litre jug underneath the tap, which was dripping every second. Over 24 hours, it just filled the jug once. Nowhere near 10.8 litres a day. The collected water was used for cooking/the cat's drinking water/tipped on the vege garden, so it wasn't even wasted. But one more point people might like to consider: my tap was the *hot* water tap, so it was also wasting electricity.
I try to only buy things on sale, but if it is a necessity I'll buy it even if it's not on sale. But I am always looking for coupons for those items too. So if it's not on sale I most likely have a coupon!!
I don't necessarily limit my spending to sale items. But being a "frugalist", I won't purchase most things without haggling or first looking for some kind of discount, coupon, a cheaper competitor's price, or some sufficient alternative. I think this is a principle to live by even when times aren't rough. After I've exhausted all those options, if what I'm buying is REALLY giving me the warm and fuzzy feeling, I'll buy it at full price .
Check your math. If an average gallon is $1.50, then 1,041 average gallons will cost $1,561.50. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like your dripping away $4.28/day.
I scour the sale ads for grocery shopping and try to use coupons on things that we will actually use but that doesn't mean I won't pay full price for a grocery item...if we need and will use it. As far as retail shopping, I have no problem shopping for gently worn clothing at thrift stores. I was raised in a family where hand me downs were the norm so, to me, why by new when used will do!
We generally keep an eye on weekly flyers and (necessary) items if they're on sale. There are some items that sometimes can't wait for sale times e.g. fruit and veg, milk. Gas unfortunately never goes 'on sale', but we always go to Canadian Tire because the price is the same as everywhere else and you get Canadian Tire money. We then use this to purchase cat food (it's cheapest there and we have 4 cats!) - it's even better when the cat food is on sale, because we get more for our Canadian Tire money!
I do usually only buy things on sale. If something that I need/want is not on sale, I will go to a store like Aldi or Save a Lot to buy it cheaper. Also, if clothing that I want is not on sale, I will just wait until it does go on sale.
It's not just about how much a dripping faucet costs YOU it's also about how much ALL the other dripping faucets cost the neighbourhood, the town, the county, etc. And cost isn't all about money. What about the cost to the eco system?
I just heard on the radio yesterday (NPR) that Walmart honors all retail competitors price lists. For example; If you find it cheaper at say "Target" and show them the ad, they will match the price at the register and apparently ALL cashiers have the ability to price match by entering the amount manually rather than scanning. The term is deemed "Add match Policy."
I wonder if they will match their own price at the register when you find an item on their website cheaper than in their store?
I would think that they would...
I would hope that they would...
More information on this can be found at the following link:
I had my catalytic converter stolen off my last car. What a headache! I had to go to the shop and put out almost $800 to have it replaced and the damaged caused fixed.
I found out after a couple of years that an inspector I had been using had missed some things on a couple of homes and I no longer work with him. He was a former builder and knew many things but I am not an inspector. The only way to be close to 100% sure you are getting the best job done by a contractor or inspector is to have 3-4 different guys do the same job covering everyone. I don't get kickbacks and no one ever offered me one.
Reminds me of House Hunters when the agent starts talking about how easy it is to remove walls. Unless you're certain you are going to live in a house for 5+ years, the math doesn't work out for buying a house (in the absence of spectacular price rises)
One thing the Latte Factor conveys is mindful spending. Think, and make sure what you're buying truly brings you the enjoyment you intend for it to bring. At first, the Latte is a special treat, but once you go to buying one everyday on the way to work and drinking it without thought, it's ceased to have much value (other than an injection of caffeine).
Indulgences are fine, as long as you recognize them as such. When they become routine, you're wasting your money.
I find it interesting that most of the work at home jobs are scams.
Really sucks when You are trying to find a legit job to do for extra income.
I have looked at WAHM, and got pulled into melaleuca. Which I only buy the products because I like that they are safe.
I am wanting to find something good to do from home. Can anyone suggested something that is working and legit?
Thanks.
Please don't forget the oh-so important home warranty! You one, and it will save you $$! And did the realtor mention they just love working with a specific home warranty company?
My husband and I made the mistake of believing that, along with several of the things you mentioned, and, in the end, it cost us.
My apologies for apparently giving the impression that I was insinuating that you had treated this person unfairly. So much intent or meaning can be lost here online in written posts; I was "questioning", but not passing judgement. I just picked up on a couple of things you mentioned that spoke favorably of this man, and I was also putting myself in your wife's place, but substituting my own feelings and reactions - as if I were in the situation. You said that this realtor was the husband of your wife's friend. Women do chat, and I imagined that perhaps your wife might have mentioned to her friend that her husband(you) write articles online that are posted on a site like Wisebread, which has a huge readership. I know I would feel proud of my husband if he were writing articles that were being picked up online, and would probably share that info with a few of my friends. I would have just been afraid that if my friend saw the article, it would cause hurt feelings and possibly end the friendship. Of course, as you have filled in further details, it might well be that your wife might not mind if the friendship were affected; clearly - in your further explanation - this man did not handle the situation professionally, and you are STILL being affected by his actions, even though you have decided not to sell your home.
And you're absolutely right about another point: Realtors sometimes make a LOT of money from very little effort, as some properties sell in a very short period of time. Others can take a lot longer and, in cases like those, more time and effort from the realtor is obviously required. And as you pointed out, that is part of the deal that a realtor takes on when he or she chooses the job.
I do thank you for sharing a bit more of your story with us here. It does make a lot of things more clear - and more understandable ... especially for us "sensitive types". ;o)
This article outlines several expectations people had for real estate agents which they really should not have had. No real estate agent is going to be an expert on every facet of home repair and maintenance. No real estate agent is going to be privy to every aspect of every lender to know which one will be best for you. No real estate agent can predict with any certainty the timeframe or price range in which every house will sell.
You are hiring someone to show your home (or show homes to you) and to run the gamut of paperwork involved in buying and selling real estate. You're not hiring a contractor or a banker or an economist. Trust, then verify, and you'll get what you're paying for.
" You say "He helped us out with a sale years ago." I'm wondering if there was any financial compensation at that time for the time and effort he put in on that sale.
--> At that time, I found the buyer, showed the house and all the realtor did was show up at closing. He also got a handsome commission on the house we then bought - which the sellers paid for. Finally, I cut him a check on the side as an extra "thanks" for not charging us a commission - for basically giving us a boilerplate contract and showing up for closing. So we were more than generous that time around.
"Then, you say that "He represented us better than a typical realtor would have without the personal attachment." - which says to me that he - again - put in a lot of time and effort on your behalf ... representing you better - by your own admission - than you probably would have been represented by another "typical" realtor.
--> This is actually because my expectations for representation are so low I suppose. I've heard lots of horror stories about people not being happy with their realtor and even in this case - while he did a good job trying to get us a deal and negotiate on both ends, he also used to go days without replying to emails/calls and pulled some of the stuff I cited above. So, perhaps I was being too generous in my characterization.
"But I cringed as I read you even mentioning the possibility that it could have been deliberate - in an article you put out on the Internet that he may possibly read - along with multiple thousands of others. Gee, no wonder your relationship has changed."
--> I don't really follow. I blog anonmyously. I didn't mention him by name. And I posted this on another blog (not my own). So how could this experience possibly ever be tied to this realtor? Nothing I said was untrue and nobody would know who I'm referring to.
--> I didn't get into a lot of the "personal relationship" stuff in the article because I didn't think it was value added for readers. But since you're questioning our actions, there was plenty of blame to go around which wasn't shared here. I was actually planning on cutting him a check on the side for his efforts, which your husband would agree, is completely unheard of in industry when a deal falls through - but he's behaved pretty unprofessionally and rudely toward us when we opted to not proceed. See, we're not going to move for him. It wasn't right for us. That's the nature of the business. Sometimes they make a lot of money for very little work. Sometimes they make no money after putting in a lot of work. In this case, we couldn't reach terms we could live with on both ends and now he won't even return phone calls or take the lock off our front door which has been there for months now. Unprofessional to say the least. And well, if he's going to continue to act in this manner, then it just cost him some money!
Great point; I got burnt on our old inspector missing things on the current house (which is one of the reasons we considered moving!). He was referred to us by the realtor.
Wal-Mart stores are all company owned. There are no franchises. I thought that was pretty common knowledge.
They also have a very complicated pricing model, and to operate with such low profit margins (around 3%), they have to. There's a much higher cost to carrying inventory in a store than there is at a regional distribution center. Because the sales forecast is much less certain at the store level than the regional level, they have to carry more inventory in the stores to avoid shortages.
I know $20 is a big difference in this case, but the real answer is to suck it up and wait the 5 days. If you think you're better at pricing and logistics than Wal-Mart, open a competing business and see how it goes. Good luck.
Little things that make you happy don't cost as much as a BMW car payment or a mortgage payment on a house that is 1000 square feet bigger than you need. We are a one car family which allows us to save $600 - $800 per month. Now that adds up to quite a bit of SAVINGS!
One thing my husband and I have learned over the course of many years of home-buying, remodeling and repairing issues is to NEVER hire friends or family. It's just not worth risking the relationship, and the hard feelings that often develop if things don't work out or turn out right ... if expectations aren't met or someone feels taken advantage of.
You say "He helped us out with a sale years ago." I'm wondering if there was any financial compensation at that time for the time and effort he put in on that sale. Not that he was expecting any - I'm just noting his prior willingness to give you his time and effort for the sake of your friendship. Then, you say that "He represented us better than a typical realtor would have without the personal attachment." - which says to me that he - again - put in a lot of time and effort on your behalf ... representing you better - by your own admission - than you probably would have been represented by another "typical" realtor.
OK, it didn't work out - and he made some mistakes in the advice that he gave you - and admittedly he gave advice he shouldn't have. But I cringed as I read you even mentioning the possibility that it could have been deliberate - in an article you put out on the Internet that he may possibly read - along with multiple thousands of others. Gee, no wonder your relationship has changed. Oh, and in defense of realtors, some sellers can be a real pain in the arse ... one demand and stipulation after another, changing their minds, backing out of deals, etc. My best friend and her husband are selling their house as we speak - yet her husband refuses to allow their realtor to even hold an open house. Go figure - and glad I'm not a realtor!
i agree if we dont lower the prices of healthy food and put taxes on junk food the population is going to go deeper in to poverty, also by lowering the healthy food there will be less medical issues which will result in less money the Goverment will have to spend on health care
i personally think we should have taxes on the junk food but also lower the prices of healthy food. majority of our popluation is in poverty if we just put taxes on junk food people are going to starve because their not going to be able to afford any of it. if we lower the prices of healthy food people will buy more of that and the obesity rate will go down. also there will be less medical issues which results in less money the goverment will have to spend on health care. if they do end up just putting taxes on the junk food more of the population is going to go deeper and deeper in poverty.
I think something must be wrong with that equation (but not the conclusion). I had a dripping tap recently, but the relative who fixes these things for me for free was away on a week's fishing trip. Until he returned, I placed a 2 litre jug underneath the tap, which was dripping every second. Over 24 hours, it just filled the jug once. Nowhere near 10.8 litres a day. The collected water was used for cooking/the cat's drinking water/tipped on the vege garden, so it wasn't even wasted. But one more point people might like to consider: my tap was the *hot* water tap, so it was also wasting electricity.
I try to only buy things on sale, but if it is a necessity I'll buy it even if it's not on sale. But I am always looking for coupons for those items too. So if it's not on sale I most likely have a coupon!!
I don't necessarily limit my spending to sale items. But being a "frugalist", I won't purchase most things without haggling or first looking for some kind of discount, coupon, a cheaper competitor's price, or some sufficient alternative. I think this is a principle to live by even when times aren't rough. After I've exhausted all those options, if what I'm buying is REALLY giving me the warm and fuzzy feeling, I'll buy it at full price .
Check your math. If an average gallon is $1.50, then 1,041 average gallons will cost $1,561.50. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like your dripping away $4.28/day.
I scour the sale ads for grocery shopping and try to use coupons on things that we will actually use but that doesn't mean I won't pay full price for a grocery item...if we need and will use it. As far as retail shopping, I have no problem shopping for gently worn clothing at thrift stores. I was raised in a family where hand me downs were the norm so, to me, why by new when used will do!
We generally keep an eye on weekly flyers and (necessary) items if they're on sale. There are some items that sometimes can't wait for sale times e.g. fruit and veg, milk. Gas unfortunately never goes 'on sale', but we always go to Canadian Tire because the price is the same as everywhere else and you get Canadian Tire money. We then use this to purchase cat food (it's cheapest there and we have 4 cats!) - it's even better when the cat food is on sale, because we get more for our Canadian Tire money!
I do usually only buy things on sale. If something that I need/want is not on sale, I will go to a store like Aldi or Save a Lot to buy it cheaper. Also, if clothing that I want is not on sale, I will just wait until it does go on sale.
It's not just about how much a dripping faucet costs YOU it's also about how much ALL the other dripping faucets cost the neighbourhood, the town, the county, etc. And cost isn't all about money. What about the cost to the eco system?
I just heard on the radio yesterday (NPR) that Walmart honors all retail competitors price lists. For example; If you find it cheaper at say "Target" and show them the ad, they will match the price at the register and apparently ALL cashiers have the ability to price match by entering the amount manually rather than scanning. The term is deemed "Add match Policy."
I wonder if they will match their own price at the register when you find an item on their website cheaper than in their store?
I would think that they would...
I would hope that they would...
More information on this can be found at the following link:
http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-news/Walmart-Expands-Product-Assortment-1...
I had my catalytic converter stolen off my last car. What a headache! I had to go to the shop and put out almost $800 to have it replaced and the damaged caused fixed.
I found out after a couple of years that an inspector I had been using had missed some things on a couple of homes and I no longer work with him. He was a former builder and knew many things but I am not an inspector. The only way to be close to 100% sure you are getting the best job done by a contractor or inspector is to have 3-4 different guys do the same job covering everyone. I don't get kickbacks and no one ever offered me one.
Reminds me of House Hunters when the agent starts talking about how easy it is to remove walls. Unless you're certain you are going to live in a house for 5+ years, the math doesn't work out for buying a house (in the absence of spectacular price rises)
One thing the Latte Factor conveys is mindful spending. Think, and make sure what you're buying truly brings you the enjoyment you intend for it to bring. At first, the Latte is a special treat, but once you go to buying one everyday on the way to work and drinking it without thought, it's ceased to have much value (other than an injection of caffeine).
Indulgences are fine, as long as you recognize them as such. When they become routine, you're wasting your money.
Melanie
I find it interesting that most of the work at home jobs are scams.
Really sucks when You are trying to find a legit job to do for extra income.
I have looked at WAHM, and got pulled into melaleuca. Which I only buy the products because I like that they are safe.
I am wanting to find something good to do from home. Can anyone suggested something that is working and legit?
Thanks.
Please don't forget the oh-so important home warranty! You one, and it will save you $$! And did the realtor mention they just love working with a specific home warranty company?
My husband and I made the mistake of believing that, along with several of the things you mentioned, and, in the end, it cost us.
Thanks for sharing this!
My apologies for apparently giving the impression that I was insinuating that you had treated this person unfairly. So much intent or meaning can be lost here online in written posts; I was "questioning", but not passing judgement. I just picked up on a couple of things you mentioned that spoke favorably of this man, and I was also putting myself in your wife's place, but substituting my own feelings and reactions - as if I were in the situation. You said that this realtor was the husband of your wife's friend. Women do chat, and I imagined that perhaps your wife might have mentioned to her friend that her husband(you) write articles online that are posted on a site like Wisebread, which has a huge readership. I know I would feel proud of my husband if he were writing articles that were being picked up online, and would probably share that info with a few of my friends. I would have just been afraid that if my friend saw the article, it would cause hurt feelings and possibly end the friendship. Of course, as you have filled in further details, it might well be that your wife might not mind if the friendship were affected; clearly - in your further explanation - this man did not handle the situation professionally, and you are STILL being affected by his actions, even though you have decided not to sell your home.
And you're absolutely right about another point: Realtors sometimes make a LOT of money from very little effort, as some properties sell in a very short period of time. Others can take a lot longer and, in cases like those, more time and effort from the realtor is obviously required. And as you pointed out, that is part of the deal that a realtor takes on when he or she chooses the job.
I do thank you for sharing a bit more of your story with us here. It does make a lot of things more clear - and more understandable ... especially for us "sensitive types". ;o)
This article outlines several expectations people had for real estate agents which they really should not have had. No real estate agent is going to be an expert on every facet of home repair and maintenance. No real estate agent is going to be privy to every aspect of every lender to know which one will be best for you. No real estate agent can predict with any certainty the timeframe or price range in which every house will sell.
You are hiring someone to show your home (or show homes to you) and to run the gamut of paperwork involved in buying and selling real estate. You're not hiring a contractor or a banker or an economist. Trust, then verify, and you'll get what you're paying for.
To address a few of your comments:
" You say "He helped us out with a sale years ago." I'm wondering if there was any financial compensation at that time for the time and effort he put in on that sale.
--> At that time, I found the buyer, showed the house and all the realtor did was show up at closing. He also got a handsome commission on the house we then bought - which the sellers paid for. Finally, I cut him a check on the side as an extra "thanks" for not charging us a commission - for basically giving us a boilerplate contract and showing up for closing. So we were more than generous that time around.
"Then, you say that "He represented us better than a typical realtor would have without the personal attachment." - which says to me that he - again - put in a lot of time and effort on your behalf ... representing you better - by your own admission - than you probably would have been represented by another "typical" realtor.
--> This is actually because my expectations for representation are so low I suppose. I've heard lots of horror stories about people not being happy with their realtor and even in this case - while he did a good job trying to get us a deal and negotiate on both ends, he also used to go days without replying to emails/calls and pulled some of the stuff I cited above. So, perhaps I was being too generous in my characterization.
"But I cringed as I read you even mentioning the possibility that it could have been deliberate - in an article you put out on the Internet that he may possibly read - along with multiple thousands of others. Gee, no wonder your relationship has changed."
--> I don't really follow. I blog anonmyously. I didn't mention him by name. And I posted this on another blog (not my own). So how could this experience possibly ever be tied to this realtor? Nothing I said was untrue and nobody would know who I'm referring to.
--> I didn't get into a lot of the "personal relationship" stuff in the article because I didn't think it was value added for readers. But since you're questioning our actions, there was plenty of blame to go around which wasn't shared here. I was actually planning on cutting him a check on the side for his efforts, which your husband would agree, is completely unheard of in industry when a deal falls through - but he's behaved pretty unprofessionally and rudely toward us when we opted to not proceed. See, we're not going to move for him. It wasn't right for us. That's the nature of the business. Sometimes they make a lot of money for very little work. Sometimes they make no money after putting in a lot of work. In this case, we couldn't reach terms we could live with on both ends and now he won't even return phone calls or take the lock off our front door which has been there for months now. Unprofessional to say the least. And well, if he's going to continue to act in this manner, then it just cost him some money!
Great point; I got burnt on our old inspector missing things on the current house (which is one of the reasons we considered moving!). He was referred to us by the realtor.
Wal-Mart stores are all company owned. There are no franchises. I thought that was pretty common knowledge.
They also have a very complicated pricing model, and to operate with such low profit margins (around 3%), they have to. There's a much higher cost to carrying inventory in a store than there is at a regional distribution center. Because the sales forecast is much less certain at the store level than the regional level, they have to carry more inventory in the stores to avoid shortages.
I know $20 is a big difference in this case, but the real answer is to suck it up and wait the 5 days. If you think you're better at pricing and logistics than Wal-Mart, open a competing business and see how it goes. Good luck.
Little things that make you happy don't cost as much as a BMW car payment or a mortgage payment on a house that is 1000 square feet bigger than you need. We are a one car family which allows us to save $600 - $800 per month. Now that adds up to quite a bit of SAVINGS!
One thing my husband and I have learned over the course of many years of home-buying, remodeling and repairing issues is to NEVER hire friends or family. It's just not worth risking the relationship, and the hard feelings that often develop if things don't work out or turn out right ... if expectations aren't met or someone feels taken advantage of.
You say "He helped us out with a sale years ago." I'm wondering if there was any financial compensation at that time for the time and effort he put in on that sale. Not that he was expecting any - I'm just noting his prior willingness to give you his time and effort for the sake of your friendship. Then, you say that "He represented us better than a typical realtor would have without the personal attachment." - which says to me that he - again - put in a lot of time and effort on your behalf ... representing you better - by your own admission - than you probably would have been represented by another "typical" realtor.
OK, it didn't work out - and he made some mistakes in the advice that he gave you - and admittedly he gave advice he shouldn't have. But I cringed as I read you even mentioning the possibility that it could have been deliberate - in an article you put out on the Internet that he may possibly read - along with multiple thousands of others. Gee, no wonder your relationship has changed. Oh, and in defense of realtors, some sellers can be a real pain in the arse ... one demand and stipulation after another, changing their minds, backing out of deals, etc. My best friend and her husband are selling their house as we speak - yet her husband refuses to allow their realtor to even hold an open house. Go figure - and glad I'm not a realtor!
I don't think you have to eliminate your latte habit. Rather, control it. Spending that $3-$5 on something silly everyday adds up really quickly.
If you can cut it down to once or twice a week, you've saved a significant amount, and you can still enjoy yourself.
i agree if we dont lower the prices of healthy food and put taxes on junk food the population is going to go deeper in to poverty, also by lowering the healthy food there will be less medical issues which will result in less money the Goverment will have to spend on health care
i personally think we should have taxes on the junk food but also lower the prices of healthy food. majority of our popluation is in poverty if we just put taxes on junk food people are going to starve because their not going to be able to afford any of it. if we lower the prices of healthy food people will buy more of that and the obesity rate will go down. also there will be less medical issues which results in less money the goverment will have to spend on health care. if they do end up just putting taxes on the junk food more of the population is going to go deeper and deeper in poverty.