I'd say that if you aren't getting mad at their inflated prices, you've just become so accustomed to seeing unethical practices you don't even pay attention anymore.
Additionally, most fabrics sold in the US come from Italy or other Mediterranean countries. So Turkey isn't rare or exotic at all; Bhutan (which isn't Mediterranean, of course) only slightly more so.
Add to this list: "Use my Home Inspector." If a Home Inspector is relying on a realtor for his/her referrals, there is always the chance s/he will overlook some issues that could jeopardize the sale. Choose your own Home Inspector by going to www.ashi.org and make sure you ask whether your inspector is independent.
Hmmm... I used to have a rule in rental real estate, "Never rent out a piece of property to which you have any emotional attachment." Maybe the same thing should apply to realtors, "Never work with a realtor with whom you could damage a relationship."
I have yet to meet a real estate agent, friend or not, that doesn't overestimate the final selling point of the home. Again they want to get you to list it in any way they can, because a lot of people will end up selling anyway (they have to for one reason or another). I once had to deal with a house valuation in a court setting, I got my house appraised at around 190k, the court, being stingy, didn't get their own appraisal, just asked for a local RE agent to work it up, they came back with 270-290. Of course that was ridiculous, so the court went ahead and ordered an actual appraisal, which came back "close enough" to not argue about it. (of course I got to speak to both appraisers, so it's not surprising they were close together...)
I had a similar situation at Best Buy once. A computer cable was $40 more in-store than online, and nothing they could do about it. The store staff admitted at the time that much of what they sold online was cheaper than in-store, even with in-store pickup. Strange.
I've noticed the same thing twice from Best Buy in the last month or two. Once was for a bluray ($16.99 online, $29.99 in store), the other one was for a home theater receiver ($349.99 online, $499.99 in store). Luckily, Best Buy's policy is to price match either local competitors and/or Best Buy's online price, so I was able to get both for the discounted price.
Yes, like how in the world would a realtor know how to predict a market when so far, no one else can either!!! I think it's great that you took your time and stepped back a bit and looked at the big picture...it's the opposite thinking that got the rest of us in trouble with this housing mess!
Ill thought out design. Why switch to color-coding when most of us know what date it is? Bread can also last more than a week, making this solution unreliable.
My suggestion, get rid of them all together since it's a wasteful use of plastic, and use a more environmentally friendly package instead.
Thank you so much for this! I was about to buy a new Left4Dead2 CD for the Xbox360 because it was scratched. I found this, had some toothpaste in the other room and nothing to lose, so I tried it. Managed to save my CD's life and $35. Thanks!
I too, have made many moves, and have had friends who've made many moves. Penske has the cheapest prices and most reliable trucks. I've had *wonderful* moving experiences with Penske.
Beware uHaul. One of my friends had 2 uHaul trucks break down on her during a move before she even got out of her city. She had to move all of her stuff a total of 3 times before she finally got a uHaul truck that didn't break (the third uHaul truck made it from California to Texas). I've used uHaul before for in-town moves without a problem, but I'd be wary of them. Penske is a much better choice.
Guest, thank you so much for your comments. I really appreciated the thought you put into it and really admire your frugality. I just finished up a post about line-drying and wonder why more people don't do it. You could teach a lot of people a lot about how to save money. Thank you! -Marla
A few years back, wow + ventrillo was one of the cheapest and most fun ways of keeping up with long distance friendships. Certainly, it was better than long aimless conversations on traditional long distance plans. It changed my food costs a little (less eating out, but more chinese).
I knew a guy who only had to work half the year because all of his hobbies were as cheap as wow. His roommates and significant other had the same hobbies, so there wasn't a lot of need for any of them to spend money on bars, cars or fashion. Eventually, he found the job he really wanted, and it was worthwhile to work year round, but partially due to wow, his lifestyle was affordable enough that it was really a choice.
In the end, the fact is that budgeting time well is as important as budgeting money, if not more so. For some of my friends, time there is still worthwhile. For me, I eventually realized that it isn't, at least not this year.
I played for a while, but once I finished up all the solo adventuring areas, it became a different game, with more demanding scheduling (raiding requires committee style scheduling.) I decided it didn't fit my schedule at the time. Other friends chose differently. One moved across the country for a great job, and was able to keep spending lots of time with his girlfriend and friends via wow and other games run on skype.
Heh, not too sure on everything here, but plastic shoe racks for gloves.. genius. Dunno why I didn't think of this before instead of laying them out everywhere, ha.
Also, my mom has done the pots for utensils for ages. The hard part is finding a narrower pot that doesn't flare out at the top too much. But the weight is usually enough to keep ladles and such from falling over when tossing them in. Just line the bottom w/ foam or something and it's perfect. Ikea works well for this.
Also, if you need a good way to hang headphones... banana holder.
Ashley-I'm obsessed with smart banking. With such horribly low interest rates, finding ways to eliminate costs and boost yields is quite important. Next I have to find out how to keep my workspace organized. A perpetual challenge :).
Adjustable thermostats are a very affordable way of saving time, money and comfort, I love having the heat come on an hour before I get up. I've used them in apartments and in homes, and they pay for themselves in the first month.
Quick and cheap insulation tricks are immediately helpful. Window plastic is cheap, easy, and effective, partially because it contains tiny air leaks around the window as well. Don't forget to look for other drafty spots to cover too. (we have a house fan and an attic access).
Dressing well makes a big difference. Layers are key. Fleece and wool can both keep you warm (or even hot). Slippers and couch blankets are both effective, as is a good robe in the morning. If you really like to keep it cold, silk gloves will keep typing hands warm, though fingerless gloves are better for some touch screens.
Heating a small area up to 70 while the rest of the house is cool can really work. (Using space heaters to heat the whole house misses the point.) Use your common sense (or some math on electricity costs) to decide which space heaters are smart. Cooking food with an oven can be clever because a warm treat makes you feel warm and happy, but it wouldn't be safe or efficient to use it as a space heater.
A warm bed is the key for saving money. You want to be able to turn down the temperature down at night without getting cold yourself. If you don't want to invest in a wool or down blanket, go cotton for the bottom layers, and a really fluffy top layer (captured air insulates very well). If you put your fluffy bathrobe over the top, that doesn't hurt either.
If you are careful about efficiency, or willing to invest a lot of time, burning pellets or wood can be effective. I've had friends and family try quite a variety of solutions. Thus far, the pellet stove set the record for the cheapest, and the wood stove was vaguely decent (assuming that you value the time spent getting and chopping wood at about minimum wage). A fireplace is fun for holiday parties, but isn't for heating the house.
I haven't noticed any difference in temperature from humidity, but a little humidifier can make a huge difference in the way you feel during the winter, particularly if you get a cold or stuffy sinuses.
By the way, it's really important to keep your house above freezing. In summer cottages around here, people normally turn off the water, drain the pipes to the extent they can, then set the thermostat to 50 before they leave. Frozen pipes cause incredibly expensive damage.
It gets rid of the smell of cat urine on clothes. Put a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar in with your regular laundry detergent and the smell is gone. Beware that if you put in too much vinegar your wash will smell like a salad. But it's still better than cat pee!
I have a desktop but would love to have a laptop - I like the idea of having more portability instead of being tied to my desk for all computer related tasks.
Obviously your local store needs new management. Maybe they were understaffed for that day and not experianced. I don't think it's the entire chain, just that the one in your area is full of ding-heads. And you are a ding-head for not asking for your money back and leaving for somewhere else after waiting for an hour, hell in that amount of time you could have made your own freak'n pizza, lady.
ERIE,PENNA. IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. BEING HERE ALL MY LIFE, OTHER THEN SOME PRETTY BAD SNOWSTORMS OFF INTERSTATES 90 AND 79, THE AREA IS LOVELY.YES, WE DO LIVE NOT SO FAR FROM PERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.,IT SO FAR HAS NOT POSED A THREAT TO OUR RESIDENTS. GO ERIE!!!!!!
I'd say that if you aren't getting mad at their inflated prices, you've just become so accustomed to seeing unethical practices you don't even pay attention anymore.
Additionally, most fabrics sold in the US come from Italy or other Mediterranean countries. So Turkey isn't rare or exotic at all; Bhutan (which isn't Mediterranean, of course) only slightly more so.
I noticed this last week too! A season of Supernatural was $17.50 online, with ship-to-store available, and about $40 in store.
Add this to the "things that totally suck about Walmart" list.
Add to this list: "Use my Home Inspector." If a Home Inspector is relying on a realtor for his/her referrals, there is always the chance s/he will overlook some issues that could jeopardize the sale. Choose your own Home Inspector by going to www.ashi.org and make sure you ask whether your inspector is independent.
Oh yeah, next time I buy or sell a house...I'm representing myself.
Hmmm... I used to have a rule in rental real estate, "Never rent out a piece of property to which you have any emotional attachment." Maybe the same thing should apply to realtors, "Never work with a realtor with whom you could damage a relationship."
I have yet to meet a real estate agent, friend or not, that doesn't overestimate the final selling point of the home. Again they want to get you to list it in any way they can, because a lot of people will end up selling anyway (they have to for one reason or another). I once had to deal with a house valuation in a court setting, I got my house appraised at around 190k, the court, being stingy, didn't get their own appraisal, just asked for a local RE agent to work it up, they came back with 270-290. Of course that was ridiculous, so the court went ahead and ordered an actual appraisal, which came back "close enough" to not argue about it. (of course I got to speak to both appraisers, so it's not surprising they were close together...)
I had a similar situation at Best Buy once. A computer cable was $40 more in-store than online, and nothing they could do about it. The store staff admitted at the time that much of what they sold online was cheaper than in-store, even with in-store pickup. Strange.
I've noticed the same thing twice from Best Buy in the last month or two. Once was for a bluray ($16.99 online, $29.99 in store), the other one was for a home theater receiver ($349.99 online, $499.99 in store). Luckily, Best Buy's policy is to price match either local competitors and/or Best Buy's online price, so I was able to get both for the discounted price.
Yes, like how in the world would a realtor know how to predict a market when so far, no one else can either!!! I think it's great that you took your time and stepped back a bit and looked at the big picture...it's the opposite thinking that got the rest of us in trouble with this housing mess!
Skip work once every two weeks. Call in and say you don't think you are feeling well enough to come in today.
Act crazy. Say you are forgetting basic things about your job and ask for help.
Ill thought out design. Why switch to color-coding when most of us know what date it is? Bread can also last more than a week, making this solution unreliable.
My suggestion, get rid of them all together since it's a wasteful use of plastic, and use a more environmentally friendly package instead.
Laptop - Major space saver! I couldn't do without mine.
food was the first thing on both lists... yes, I'm hungry right now.
Thank you so much for this! I was about to buy a new Left4Dead2 CD for the Xbox360 because it was scratched. I found this, had some toothpaste in the other room and nothing to lose, so I tried it. Managed to save my CD's life and $35. Thanks!
I too, have made many moves, and have had friends who've made many moves. Penske has the cheapest prices and most reliable trucks. I've had *wonderful* moving experiences with Penske.
Beware uHaul. One of my friends had 2 uHaul trucks break down on her during a move before she even got out of her city. She had to move all of her stuff a total of 3 times before she finally got a uHaul truck that didn't break (the third uHaul truck made it from California to Texas). I've used uHaul before for in-town moves without a problem, but I'd be wary of them. Penske is a much better choice.
Guest, thank you so much for your comments. I really appreciated the thought you put into it and really admire your frugality. I just finished up a post about line-drying and wonder why more people don't do it. You could teach a lot of people a lot about how to save money. Thank you! -Marla
A few years back, wow + ventrillo was one of the cheapest and most fun ways of keeping up with long distance friendships. Certainly, it was better than long aimless conversations on traditional long distance plans. It changed my food costs a little (less eating out, but more chinese).
I knew a guy who only had to work half the year because all of his hobbies were as cheap as wow. His roommates and significant other had the same hobbies, so there wasn't a lot of need for any of them to spend money on bars, cars or fashion. Eventually, he found the job he really wanted, and it was worthwhile to work year round, but partially due to wow, his lifestyle was affordable enough that it was really a choice.
In the end, the fact is that budgeting time well is as important as budgeting money, if not more so. For some of my friends, time there is still worthwhile. For me, I eventually realized that it isn't, at least not this year.
I played for a while, but once I finished up all the solo adventuring areas, it became a different game, with more demanding scheduling (raiding requires committee style scheduling.) I decided it didn't fit my schedule at the time. Other friends chose differently. One moved across the country for a great job, and was able to keep spending lots of time with his girlfriend and friends via wow and other games run on skype.
Heh, not too sure on everything here, but plastic shoe racks for gloves.. genius. Dunno why I didn't think of this before instead of laying them out everywhere, ha.
Also, my mom has done the pots for utensils for ages. The hard part is finding a narrower pot that doesn't flare out at the top too much. But the weight is usually enough to keep ladles and such from falling over when tossing them in. Just line the bottom w/ foam or something and it's perfect. Ikea works well for this.
Also, if you need a good way to hang headphones... banana holder.
Ashley-I'm obsessed with smart banking. With such horribly low interest rates, finding ways to eliminate costs and boost yields is quite important. Next I have to find out how to keep my workspace organized. A perpetual challenge :).
Adjustable thermostats are a very affordable way of saving time, money and comfort, I love having the heat come on an hour before I get up. I've used them in apartments and in homes, and they pay for themselves in the first month.
Quick and cheap insulation tricks are immediately helpful. Window plastic is cheap, easy, and effective, partially because it contains tiny air leaks around the window as well. Don't forget to look for other drafty spots to cover too. (we have a house fan and an attic access).
Dressing well makes a big difference. Layers are key. Fleece and wool can both keep you warm (or even hot). Slippers and couch blankets are both effective, as is a good robe in the morning. If you really like to keep it cold, silk gloves will keep typing hands warm, though fingerless gloves are better for some touch screens.
Heating a small area up to 70 while the rest of the house is cool can really work. (Using space heaters to heat the whole house misses the point.) Use your common sense (or some math on electricity costs) to decide which space heaters are smart. Cooking food with an oven can be clever because a warm treat makes you feel warm and happy, but it wouldn't be safe or efficient to use it as a space heater.
A warm bed is the key for saving money. You want to be able to turn down the temperature down at night without getting cold yourself. If you don't want to invest in a wool or down blanket, go cotton for the bottom layers, and a really fluffy top layer (captured air insulates very well). If you put your fluffy bathrobe over the top, that doesn't hurt either.
If you are careful about efficiency, or willing to invest a lot of time, burning pellets or wood can be effective. I've had friends and family try quite a variety of solutions. Thus far, the pellet stove set the record for the cheapest, and the wood stove was vaguely decent (assuming that you value the time spent getting and chopping wood at about minimum wage). A fireplace is fun for holiday parties, but isn't for heating the house.
I haven't noticed any difference in temperature from humidity, but a little humidifier can make a huge difference in the way you feel during the winter, particularly if you get a cold or stuffy sinuses.
By the way, it's really important to keep your house above freezing. In summer cottages around here, people normally turn off the water, drain the pipes to the extent they can, then set the thermostat to 50 before they leave. Frozen pipes cause incredibly expensive damage.
It gets rid of the smell of cat urine on clothes. Put a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar in with your regular laundry detergent and the smell is gone. Beware that if you put in too much vinegar your wash will smell like a salad. But it's still better than cat pee!
I have a desktop but would love to have a laptop - I like the idea of having more portability instead of being tied to my desk for all computer related tasks.
Obviously your local store needs new management. Maybe they were understaffed for that day and not experianced. I don't think it's the entire chain, just that the one in your area is full of ding-heads. And you are a ding-head for not asking for your money back and leaving for somewhere else after waiting for an hour, hell in that amount of time you could have made your own freak'n pizza, lady.
Do you ever think it is too late or that your too old to persue your dreams??
ERIE,PENNA. IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. BEING HERE ALL MY LIFE, OTHER THEN SOME PRETTY BAD SNOWSTORMS OFF INTERSTATES 90 AND 79, THE AREA IS LOVELY.YES, WE DO LIVE NOT SO FAR FROM PERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.,IT SO FAR HAS NOT POSED A THREAT TO OUR RESIDENTS. GO ERIE!!!!!!