We rented from Penske and had a great experience. We did a one way move from Missouri to Texas and the cost was around $400-$500 and we kept the truck for a while to account for packing and unpacking. All in all, the experience wasn't as bad as we expected.
I add a half cup of vinegar to my dishwasher every time I run it, and my dishes come out sparkling and spotless. I have very hard water, and without the vinegar, my dishes always come out with a white film on them, even with brand-name detergent and rinse-aid.
Thanks for the tips! We'll be moving cross-country later this year too, except we're going west-to-east. One of the things I'm wrestling with is the best method for moving pets. We're also looking at POD containers (not for the cats) vs. moving truck.
Congratulations on your move. I hope you enjoy your new home!
Plus a vinegar douche is one of the most awful things I can even think of. Douching with anything is almost always a bad idea and kills a ton of good bacteria, I can only imagine vinegar being that much more caustic.
Desktop all the way! I have a desktop that I built myself and I save so much money by buying quality components and installing myself when something goes wrong or more frequently when I need an upgrade. the extra room allows for me to have a much faster computer with a lot more storage.
a lot of people say its all about portability, but I have had laptops in the past and they mostly sit on the desk. I cant think of anyone who dosen't have access to a computer at work, and when you are at the coffee shop they have these wonderful things called books that are even lighter than a laptop and even more entertaining!
I never had eaten a weed until I lived with and married my ex. He grew up on a farm. So milk weed was the 1st thing we made. Cook it like spinach.. When it is young and growing never when the flower comes out...and enjoy it.
I don't believe you can collect unemployment for the difference, though in some types of employment, if the wages are low enough AND you have enough earnings in your base period (the period of your past employment used to calculate the benefit amount you may be eligible to receive), you might qualify for some unemployment.
I don't know if the reduction in wages is enough to have caused you financial hardship, but if your wages are at least 20% less than they were before, you may have a case for collecting unemployment benefits even though it would be a voluntary quit --at least in California. Whether you are in California or another state, Precedent-Benefit cases are generally accessible. These cases set the standard for practices and procedures in unemployment law. You can do research to find what rules have been established in all sorts of circumstances. Often you can find cases that mirror your own. If you are defending a claim, you may find support in citing these cases.
Here is an excerpt from the decision of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB) in P-B-124, a case that may provide support for leaving employment because of reduction of wages. (This case was decided many years ago, thus the hourly earnings are reflective of the time period in which the case was decided, but the principal remains the same):
"As a general rule, it has been held that a substantial reduction in wages is regarded as 'good cause' for leaving employment so as to entitle a claimant to unemployment compensation benefits."
"We are in general agreement with this rule. Unless a person would become a nonproductive member of society (see Appeals Board Decision No. P-B-1), a person has good cause to leave his employment when he is confronted with the alternative of continuing employment at a sufficiently substantial reduction of pay or becoming unemployed.
The reduction in pay that the claimant was faced with in the instant case was from $3.65 an hour to $2.885 an hour. Since we cannot find that the claimant became a nonproductive member of society by choosing unemployment rather than accepting this reduction in pay, we find that this reduction in pay (20.96 percent) is sufficiently substantial, in and of itself, to conclude that the claimant had good cause to leave his work."
In the current economic conditions, if you have a job that provides you with enough to live on, it is probably best to hang on to it. So many people are going through tough times. I would say--unless continuing in that job results in hardship--make-do until this economy turns around. Unemployment does not provide great pay, and it is temporary. If unemployment benefits will provide greater means than what you are currently earning, it may be the better option. You have to eat!
Thanks for the breakdown! I agree, that this can happen, and the key to actually earning money via mystery shopping is to be as efficient as possible. Ideally, I would never take one assignment any distance from my house. I live about 40 minutes from the nearest city, so I would schedule at least 3 shops in any given day and perform them all on the same day as I was to go run errands, anyway. My day would look like this:
Drive 45 minutes (cost $0, as I was headed to the city, anyway)
Stop at shop #1 (fast food, which means I'm buying a lunch I would have bought, anyway) $8.50 payment plus reimbursement
Stop at shop #2 (fast food, which means my spouse is now getting to eat the meal that I purchased for the shop -- he has to eat, too!) $8.50 payment plus reimbursement
Stop at shop #3 (usually a mall or speciality retailer. This trip isn't planned, but I can shop in the area and not use any additional gas.) $10 payment
Total time to do the shops: 1 - 1.5 hours because I try to do shops for the same kind of companies, reducing my "study" time and making me more efficient
Drive home: 45 minutes (which I was doing anyway)
Time to compile info, enter reports online and scan receipts (1.5 hours)
Total earned: $27 plus two free meals
Total time spent in addition to to typical shopping day: 3 hours
So, in theory, I earned $9 an hour.
This is the ideal scenario, and they don't come up often. If you can work your mystery shopping to revolve around your existing habits, it's much more profitable.
Thanks for posting! I'm absolutely useless at fixing tyres so the 'what can go wrong' section is particularly useful. This post has made my Top Money Tips: Picnic Special this week! Thanks again.
Right...but I've heard that sperm with the Y chromosome have a harder time living in acidic environment. Vinegar is an acid - so I think the idea is that douching with it would make it harder for the boy spermies to reach pay dirt.
Vinegar is also a great way to clean your microwave.
You just put a little dish in there for a couple of minutes - and the vinegar vapors loosen up all that nasty gunk. Works great!
This is anti-capitalist propaganda funded by George Soros through one of his front organizations. A little extra research will show you that he is committed to destroying the US economy and creating a one world order. Does that mean I support wastefulness? No. But when you see who this guy is and the fact that he already destroyed 5 national economies (billionaires can do that) you'll realize that these messages are more than what they appear to be.
Use Number 3 is totally a "midwife's tale" and not true. The sex of your child is only dependent on whether the male's sperm that fertilizes the female's egg is carrying an X chromosome (which will produce a female offspring) or a Y chromosome (which will produce a male offspring). The fact that the contributor's friend had a girl after a vinegar douche was purely a coincidence. Any 5th grade science book could point this out. Check your references before publishing bad information.
Vinegar can be used to remove wallpaper. It dissolves the wallpaper paste and is much cheaper than removers. Also, I was told by customer service to only use warm vinegar to clean my Delta faucets.
Can anyone tell me about any comparison of Safecopy backup and anyother backup service,I have really fallen in love with this backup system.Because it seems to offer good services.
I hate to be blunt but many of you posting on here are crazy. Front loaded amortization was concocted by the banks to get their money first (the interest). I've owned my home for the last 8 years. I have great credit and work in the financial/real estate industry so I understand the math and the reasoning. My home cost $170K when I bought it and over the last 8 years I've paid $90K in interest and have only paid down my principle by $25K to $155K . Selling it, assuming I'll be able to sell it for the same $170K I purchased it for, I will only receive a cash out for $25K ($170K-$155K). But the bank has received $90K over the same 8 years.
I understand the banks need to make money but they have been making huge sums and have destroyed the American dream of owning your home because it's now a money looser, not a money maker. More Americans move about every five years than ever before. They spend their time improving their homes by buying from retail stores and paying for upkeep on the house (Mowing, repairs, fertilizer, etc) Essentially fixing it up in the hopes of getting some more money out of it when they sell it. So they get a little return on their investment if the value goes up.
Finally the next buyer comes along and buys your improved house for an even greater price and the front loaded interest payments start all over again on an even higher price meaning the bank makes even more money over the next five years until it time to do it again for the next sucker.
The math has been done. It's cheaper to rent than it is to own, even when you consider the interest deduction on taxes. It didn't used to be this why back in the 40's-60's, but it is now.
Finally, this nonsense about being able to afford a home that's 2x's, 3x's, 4x's, or 5x's your gross household income is pure crap promoted by guess who-- the banks.
Cash is king people. If you can't pay cash, which I understand most can't then only pay the least house possible or rent. I moved to CA for a $150K job and I live in a trailer that cost's $90K. Very cheap here and less than 1x's my annual income. What do I do with the rest? Invest and enjoy life with my family so I'm not paying some bankster to get rich off my hard work. I would much rather see my family enjoy it.
Beware, Mystery Shopping pays even less than mininum wage. Here's an example of maritzmysteryshopping.com by Maritz Research. They claim that it is only a quick 10 minute call for a Chase Mystery Shop for $8.50 dlls The cost adds up.
$5 or $6 dlls of gasoline cost to drive to the bank and return (at $4 dlls per gallon),
then you got only $3.50 left for the job
15 minutes to learn what the job is about and to take and pass the online quiz
15 minutes travel time each way - total 30 minutes
10 minutes waiting in the Bank waiting list
10-15 minutes at the Teller to do the shop
20 minutes - You come back and do the de-briefing (reporting) which takes about 20 minutes to answer about 15-20 online questions and to scan and upload the documents
Wait for your $8.50 dll check and another trip to deposit it in the dumb case you make a special trip for that.
Total Pay: $8.50
Fuel cost: $6.00
Residual: $2.50 dlls
So in all you spent about 30+10+15+20 minutes = 1.25 hours
So, $2.50 / 1.25 hours = $2.00 dlls per hour (what is the minimum wage in the US?)
Great deal for Maritz, they charge Chase probably about $50-$100 dlls per visit, and only pay $8.50 to the mystery shopper.
Now, for a Texaco or Chevron visit Maritz pays $20 dlls. It takes an average of 15 photos of the different areas, pumps, restrooms, parking, cashier, prices, signs, pump deficiencies. They send you an inspection manual Chevron/Texaco Image Execution Guide (48 pages + 4 page addendum) that is very detailed and takes about 2 hours to read in order to pass the qualification test.
2.5 hours to learn what the job is about and to take and pass the online quiz
15 minutes travel time each way - total 30 minutes
1 hour to do the inspection / pictures and form filling
1 hour - You come back and do the de-briefing (reporting) which takes about 1 hour to answer about 60 online questions and to scan and upload the photos
Wait for your $20 dll check and another trip to deposit it in the dumb case you make a special trip for that.
Total Pay: $20.00
Fuel cost: $6.00 (conservative)
Security Vest: $6.00 dlls (mandatory, since you even have to submit a photo of yourself wearing it.
Residual: $8.00 dlls
Time invested: 4.75 hours
Hourly Wage: $8.00 dlls / 4.75 hours = $1.68 dlls per hour
So in all you spent about 4.7 hours to do the job responsibly and professionally. Anybody
could just checkmark all the questions and submit an unrealistic inspection report.
Total pay per hour for a Maritz Mistery Shop at Texaco: $1.68 dlls per hour
Total pay per hour for a Maritz Chase 10 minute shop: $2.00 dlls per hour
To round up the case, I estimate that Maritz charges at least $80 dlls to Chase,
and $100 dlls to Texaco or Chevron for the visit.
These are realistic numbers.
Judge for yourself before you consider Mistery Shopping as a solution to your
extra income.
I just did a gift with a stack of "theater candy". The big boxes can be purchased at the dollar store. Pick boxes that are the same size if possible, wrap each one in a different color paper and stack, wrap with ribbon and add a bow. I did 4 boxes of candy and a $10 dollar certificate to my favorite used book/media store, so a total of $14 for a very lovely gift.
I received an offer just the other day from Mastercard...with a pre-approved amount. with my name on it. all anyone had to do was go online and activate it. Is Mastercard also desperate for business? Netspend is not just for people who can't get a bank card or bad credit, it's great for kids away at college who you still support financially. Maybe you don't want them to have a card directly linked to yours in case the lose it or just need quick cash for an emergency. It's great for high school kids to show them how to manage their money & use a debit card if they have their own job. just load their money- and when it runs out, they're broke. They can track all of their transactions online & it breaks it down to show them what they're spending most of their money on. they can pay their car insurance, cell phone bill, etc.
We rented from Penske and had a great experience. We did a one way move from Missouri to Texas and the cost was around $400-$500 and we kept the truck for a while to account for packing and unpacking. All in all, the experience wasn't as bad as we expected.
I add a half cup of vinegar to my dishwasher every time I run it, and my dishes come out sparkling and spotless. I have very hard water, and without the vinegar, my dishes always come out with a white film on them, even with brand-name detergent and rinse-aid.
Thanks for the tips! We'll be moving cross-country later this year too, except we're going west-to-east. One of the things I'm wrestling with is the best method for moving pets. We're also looking at POD containers (not for the cats) vs. moving truck.
Congratulations on your move. I hope you enjoy your new home!
Plus a vinegar douche is one of the most awful things I can even think of. Douching with anything is almost always a bad idea and kills a ton of good bacteria, I can only imagine vinegar being that much more caustic.
I respectfully disagree about egg containers, as they have carry a salmonella risk.
Whoa! Never thought of the microwave. Great tip! Off to try this now...
You are welcome!
Desktop all the way! I have a desktop that I built myself and I save so much money by buying quality components and installing myself when something goes wrong or more frequently when I need an upgrade. the extra room allows for me to have a much faster computer with a lot more storage.
a lot of people say its all about portability, but I have had laptops in the past and they mostly sit on the desk. I cant think of anyone who dosen't have access to a computer at work, and when you are at the coffee shop they have these wonderful things called books that are even lighter than a laptop and even more entertaining!
Laptop, but it's usually on my desk anyway. It's nice to have the portability though for when I do actually need it (traveling, etc.).
I never had eaten a weed until I lived with and married my ex. He grew up on a farm. So milk weed was the 1st thing we made. Cook it like spinach.. When it is young and growing never when the flower comes out...and enjoy it.
I don't believe you can collect unemployment for the difference, though in some types of employment, if the wages are low enough AND you have enough earnings in your base period (the period of your past employment used to calculate the benefit amount you may be eligible to receive), you might qualify for some unemployment.
I don't know if the reduction in wages is enough to have caused you financial hardship, but if your wages are at least 20% less than they were before, you may have a case for collecting unemployment benefits even though it would be a voluntary quit --at least in California. Whether you are in California or another state, Precedent-Benefit cases are generally accessible. These cases set the standard for practices and procedures in unemployment law. You can do research to find what rules have been established in all sorts of circumstances. Often you can find cases that mirror your own. If you are defending a claim, you may find support in citing these cases.
Here is an excerpt from the decision of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB) in P-B-124, a case that may provide support for leaving employment because of reduction of wages. (This case was decided many years ago, thus the hourly earnings are reflective of the time period in which the case was decided, but the principal remains the same):
"As a general rule, it has been held that a substantial reduction in wages is regarded as 'good cause' for leaving employment so as to entitle a claimant to unemployment compensation benefits."
"We are in general agreement with this rule. Unless a person would become a nonproductive member of society (see Appeals Board Decision No. P-B-1), a person has good cause to leave his employment when he is confronted with the alternative of continuing employment at a sufficiently substantial reduction of pay or becoming unemployed.
The reduction in pay that the claimant was faced with in the instant case was from $3.65 an hour to $2.885 an hour. Since we cannot find that the claimant became a nonproductive member of society by choosing unemployment rather than accepting this reduction in pay, we find that this reduction in pay (20.96 percent) is sufficiently substantial, in and of itself, to conclude that the claimant had good cause to leave his work."
In the current economic conditions, if you have a job that provides you with enough to live on, it is probably best to hang on to it. So many people are going through tough times. I would say--unless continuing in that job results in hardship--make-do until this economy turns around. Unemployment does not provide great pay, and it is temporary. If unemployment benefits will provide greater means than what you are currently earning, it may be the better option. You have to eat!
Thanks for the breakdown! I agree, that this can happen, and the key to actually earning money via mystery shopping is to be as efficient as possible. Ideally, I would never take one assignment any distance from my house. I live about 40 minutes from the nearest city, so I would schedule at least 3 shops in any given day and perform them all on the same day as I was to go run errands, anyway. My day would look like this:
Drive 45 minutes (cost $0, as I was headed to the city, anyway)
Stop at shop #1 (fast food, which means I'm buying a lunch I would have bought, anyway) $8.50 payment plus reimbursement
Stop at shop #2 (fast food, which means my spouse is now getting to eat the meal that I purchased for the shop -- he has to eat, too!) $8.50 payment plus reimbursement
Stop at shop #3 (usually a mall or speciality retailer. This trip isn't planned, but I can shop in the area and not use any additional gas.) $10 payment
Total time to do the shops: 1 - 1.5 hours because I try to do shops for the same kind of companies, reducing my "study" time and making me more efficient
Drive home: 45 minutes (which I was doing anyway)
Time to compile info, enter reports online and scan receipts (1.5 hours)
Total earned: $27 plus two free meals
Total time spent in addition to to typical shopping day: 3 hours
So, in theory, I earned $9 an hour.
This is the ideal scenario, and they don't come up often. If you can work your mystery shopping to revolve around your existing habits, it's much more profitable.
Thanks for posting! I'm absolutely useless at fixing tyres so the 'what can go wrong' section is particularly useful. This post has made my Top Money Tips: Picnic Special this week! Thanks again.
Right...but I've heard that sperm with the Y chromosome have a harder time living in acidic environment. Vinegar is an acid - so I think the idea is that douching with it would make it harder for the boy spermies to reach pay dirt.
Should we be talking about this?
Vinegar is also a great way to clean your microwave.
You just put a little dish in there for a couple of minutes - and the vinegar vapors loosen up all that nasty gunk. Works great!
This is anti-capitalist propaganda funded by George Soros through one of his front organizations. A little extra research will show you that he is committed to destroying the US economy and creating a one world order. Does that mean I support wastefulness? No. But when you see who this guy is and the fact that he already destroyed 5 national economies (billionaires can do that) you'll realize that these messages are more than what they appear to be.
Use Number 3 is totally a "midwife's tale" and not true. The sex of your child is only dependent on whether the male's sperm that fertilizes the female's egg is carrying an X chromosome (which will produce a female offspring) or a Y chromosome (which will produce a male offspring). The fact that the contributor's friend had a girl after a vinegar douche was purely a coincidence. Any 5th grade science book could point this out. Check your references before publishing bad information.
You forgot "And rent from Penske....exclusively."
Vinegar can be used to remove wallpaper. It dissolves the wallpaper paste and is much cheaper than removers. Also, I was told by customer service to only use warm vinegar to clean my Delta faucets.
Can anyone tell me about any comparison of Safecopy backup and anyother backup service,I have really fallen in love with this backup system.Because it seems to offer good services.
I hate to be blunt but many of you posting on here are crazy. Front loaded amortization was concocted by the banks to get their money first (the interest). I've owned my home for the last 8 years. I have great credit and work in the financial/real estate industry so I understand the math and the reasoning. My home cost $170K when I bought it and over the last 8 years I've paid $90K in interest and have only paid down my principle by $25K to $155K . Selling it, assuming I'll be able to sell it for the same $170K I purchased it for, I will only receive a cash out for $25K ($170K-$155K). But the bank has received $90K over the same 8 years.
I understand the banks need to make money but they have been making huge sums and have destroyed the American dream of owning your home because it's now a money looser, not a money maker. More Americans move about every five years than ever before. They spend their time improving their homes by buying from retail stores and paying for upkeep on the house (Mowing, repairs, fertilizer, etc) Essentially fixing it up in the hopes of getting some more money out of it when they sell it. So they get a little return on their investment if the value goes up.
Finally the next buyer comes along and buys your improved house for an even greater price and the front loaded interest payments start all over again on an even higher price meaning the bank makes even more money over the next five years until it time to do it again for the next sucker.
The math has been done. It's cheaper to rent than it is to own, even when you consider the interest deduction on taxes. It didn't used to be this why back in the 40's-60's, but it is now.
Finally, this nonsense about being able to afford a home that's 2x's, 3x's, 4x's, or 5x's your gross household income is pure crap promoted by guess who-- the banks.
Cash is king people. If you can't pay cash, which I understand most can't then only pay the least house possible or rent. I moved to CA for a $150K job and I live in a trailer that cost's $90K. Very cheap here and less than 1x's my annual income. What do I do with the rest? Invest and enjoy life with my family so I'm not paying some bankster to get rich off my hard work. I would much rather see my family enjoy it.
WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!
Economics of Maritz Mystery Shopping
Beware, Mystery Shopping pays even less than mininum wage. Here's an example of maritzmysteryshopping.com by Maritz Research. They claim that it is only a quick 10 minute call for a Chase Mystery Shop for $8.50 dlls The cost adds up.
$5 or $6 dlls of gasoline cost to drive to the bank and return (at $4 dlls per gallon),
then you got only $3.50 left for the job
15 minutes to learn what the job is about and to take and pass the online quiz
15 minutes travel time each way - total 30 minutes
10 minutes waiting in the Bank waiting list
10-15 minutes at the Teller to do the shop
20 minutes - You come back and do the de-briefing (reporting) which takes about 20 minutes to answer about 15-20 online questions and to scan and upload the documents
Wait for your $8.50 dll check and another trip to deposit it in the dumb case you make a special trip for that.
Total Pay: $8.50
Fuel cost: $6.00
Residual: $2.50 dlls
So in all you spent about 30+10+15+20 minutes = 1.25 hours
So, $2.50 / 1.25 hours = $2.00 dlls per hour (what is the minimum wage in the US?)
Great deal for Maritz, they charge Chase probably about $50-$100 dlls per visit, and only pay $8.50 to the mystery shopper.
Now, for a Texaco or Chevron visit Maritz pays $20 dlls. It takes an average of 15 photos of the different areas, pumps, restrooms, parking, cashier, prices, signs, pump deficiencies. They send you an inspection manual Chevron/Texaco Image Execution Guide (48 pages + 4 page addendum) that is very detailed and takes about 2 hours to read in order to pass the qualification test.
2.5 hours to learn what the job is about and to take and pass the online quiz
15 minutes travel time each way - total 30 minutes
1 hour to do the inspection / pictures and form filling
1 hour - You come back and do the de-briefing (reporting) which takes about 1 hour to answer about 60 online questions and to scan and upload the photos
Wait for your $20 dll check and another trip to deposit it in the dumb case you make a special trip for that.
Total Pay: $20.00
Fuel cost: $6.00 (conservative)
Security Vest: $6.00 dlls (mandatory, since you even have to submit a photo of yourself wearing it.
Residual: $8.00 dlls
Time invested: 4.75 hours
Hourly Wage: $8.00 dlls / 4.75 hours = $1.68 dlls per hour
So in all you spent about 4.7 hours to do the job responsibly and professionally. Anybody
could just checkmark all the questions and submit an unrealistic inspection report.
Total pay per hour for a Maritz Mistery Shop at Texaco: $1.68 dlls per hour
Total pay per hour for a Maritz Chase 10 minute shop: $2.00 dlls per hour
To round up the case, I estimate that Maritz charges at least $80 dlls to Chase,
and $100 dlls to Texaco or Chevron for the visit.
These are realistic numbers.
Judge for yourself before you consider Mistery Shopping as a solution to your
extra income.
I just did a gift with a stack of "theater candy". The big boxes can be purchased at the dollar store. Pick boxes that are the same size if possible, wrap each one in a different color paper and stack, wrap with ribbon and add a bow. I did 4 boxes of candy and a $10 dollar certificate to my favorite used book/media store, so a total of $14 for a very lovely gift.
I have a laptop. I prefer it for portability to play or work where ever I go.
I received an offer just the other day from Mastercard...with a pre-approved amount. with my name on it. all anyone had to do was go online and activate it. Is Mastercard also desperate for business? Netspend is not just for people who can't get a bank card or bad credit, it's great for kids away at college who you still support financially. Maybe you don't want them to have a card directly linked to yours in case the lose it or just need quick cash for an emergency. It's great for high school kids to show them how to manage their money & use a debit card if they have their own job. just load their money- and when it runs out, they're broke. They can track all of their transactions online & it breaks it down to show them what they're spending most of their money on. they can pay their car insurance, cell phone bill, etc.