Recent comments

  • netSpend: The Story of the Visa Debit Card We Did Not Apply For   15 years 11 weeks ago

    As far as people getting upset about fees @ Netspend... you pay 10.00 a month to use it. why call & pay .50 to check your balance when you can text them & get it right away? I choose to get a text every morning just to know how much money i'm starting my day off with. this actually came in very handy when i dropped my wallet @ TGI Friday's one night and didn't even realize it until the next morning. The first thing i did was check my text & saw that no money was missing so, I called TGI's and they had it. An ATM shut down in the middle of my transaction & said that I'd gotten $200.00 when I hadn't. All i had to do was fax a letter explaining what happened to Netspend & they put the money back on my card until they could verify with the ATM company that they were over that amount. they could've said said "tough" and made me wait until they knew i was telling the truth but, they didn't. My card has been blocked before when i've been on the road traveling but, i called & they lifted it, right then. American Express does the same thing to my husband at times. It's to protect you. i

  • 8 Meatless Dishes for Meat-n-Taters Lovers   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Great list of filling cheap meals - thanks!

    I also love Black bean soup! I really like this vegan version: http://veggiemealmaker.com/vegan-black-bean-zucchini-soup

    Cheers!

  • Join Our Tweetchat on Thu 4/7, 12pm Pacific for Chance to Win Prizes   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Great info. That was fun.

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I used to have both, though as my desk top became a dinosaur, I never replaced it. I keep my laptop on my computer desk for the most part, but then also have the flexibility of taking it wherever I need/want to go with it, whether to another part of the house or going somewhere away from the house. I can't imagine not having the flexibility the laptop gives me, especially since I am old-fashioned in the sense that my cell phone only does calls and text messaging!

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I have both.

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I use both a desktop and a laptop. The desktop has much greater storage capacity for archives, etc. But I use the laptop in the family room, and when on the road. Nowadays, I'm backing stuff up in the "cloud."

  • Making Progress: The Missing Link Between Management and Employees   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Yeah, Kevin has a point. I mean, issues have been brought up to management in my company for years, but nothing has been done. I have given up on trying to receive recognition whether verbally or in compensation, and I've lost all motivation to further myself here since all I got was more work with less pay. I'm getting a check to pay for my bills, and that's that. I am trading hours for dollars.

  • 5 Tried-and-True Strategies for Saving When Your Income Isn't Consistent   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Saving extra money from raises, and bonuses is the probably one of the easiest ways to accomplish some added savings. Just get used to what you make now, and regardless of inflation, just keep saving those extra dollars!

  • Negotiating 101: The 5 Buyers You Meet In Hell   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Nice to see a seller positive about negotiating. I have quite a few postings suggesting its bad form to try to get the price down at a yard or garage sale. It always seems to me that the writers of such nonsense think only desperate charity cases sell their goods and purchases should be treated as an act of kindness. Asking for a lower price is somehow taking advantage.

  • Making Progress: The Missing Link Between Management and Employees   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Autonomy is the best, and really only thing I care about at work, as long as I'm making enough money to pay my bills.

  • How to Reward Friends Who Help You Move   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I'm glad you got some new ideas from the piece, Wayward, and good luck with your move!

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I use my laptop as my mainstay, and then my desktop occasionally, just because it's a PC, so I still need that once in a while. I just figure they'll stop making desktops at some point in the future and they'll become obsolete. Then people will look back and laugh about how they used to kick their shins on the big clunky computer boxes below their desks.

  • How to Reward Friends Who Help You Move   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Great point about organization, Debbie. I've heard some horror stories about people showing up to help family members move and discovering that absolutely nothing was packed yet!

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I have both a desktop and a netbook. I use the desktop most because of the scanner and printer functions I use regularly and take the netbook with me when I go out or my son wants to use the computer. My financial, journaling, and address software is kept synced with Dropbox. The performance of the netbook isn't great but it does the job. It was what I could afford at the time.

  • 99 Free or Virtually Free Ways to De-Stress   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Yes! Now it's an even hundred. Meditation is a fantastic way to de-stress!

  • 5 Tried-and-True Strategies for Saving When Your Income Isn't Consistent   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Great post. I'm glad you addressed this. I think inconsistent income makes it harder for people to automate their retirement savings and save financial goals period. I like how you set some guidelines. I think it will take discipline on the persons part to put the money where it needs to go. Maybe they could even set a very low number to be put away automatically as if it were a fixed "bill" every week and then add to it if they make a great deal more.

    Everyone is different and has to do what is best for them and you provide different options.

  • 10 Safest Cities in America from Natural Disasters   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I definitely do not agree with Chesapeake being one of the safest cities. Major flooding occurs every time there is a storm and as other have said it is under the threat of a hurricane every season

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Laptop, got tired of lugging around a tower every time I moved in college and the technology caught up in laptops for the pricing so there you go...

  • The Secret Confessions of Employees   15 years 11 weeks ago

    We don't kick 'em, but we definitely throw 'em, lose 'em, open 'em and steal 'em! And we'll charge you to "trace" and "insure"....lol

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    LAPTOP/Macbook no question about it. We move every 2 years, and travel a lot in between. It's so nice to have it with us everywhere we go.

    Now I'm also getting hooked on my IPOD Touch and awaiting our IPAD2. This will even be way lighter than a laptop. Yay for technology!!!

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Had both, sold the desktop. I don't have Internet access at home so I take my laptop to local WiFi spots for weekend access (I use the Internet at work, all day, every day).

  • 5 Tried-and-True Strategies for Saving When Your Income Isn't Consistent   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Saving money can be had when you are living paycheck to paycheck, but like you mentioned. Having it as an end goal is a good way to start. I used to be able to save $100 a month, but now it's very difficult. I try to limit dining out and other frivolous activities as much as possible.

    Great post!

  • 5 Tried-and-True Strategies for Saving When Your Income Isn't Consistent   15 years 11 weeks ago

    Not how it's done, huh? Funny, because these strategies have been working for me for years. I think the idea you present here is good, too (unless you never make more than your owner's draw, in which you'd never save anything). Truth be told, it's impossible to cover all the good strategies for saving in one article, and so I'm glad you spoke up. It might help you to remember, though, that there's rarely just one way of doing something and doing it well.

  • Ask the Readers: Desktop or Laptop?   15 years 11 weeks ago

    A huge laptop for computer use, and a small desktop (eg. Mac mini) for a media center.

  • 5 Tried-and-True Strategies for Saving When Your Income Isn't Consistent   15 years 11 weeks ago

    I always find this as a challenge. Managing money is one of those tasks that is easier said yet so hard to do. But with this tough course, I still try to figure out how much I’ll have to save per paycheck to attain each of my savings goals. Temptation is my worst enemy but I have come to develop my discipline in resisting the urge to spend too much of my money. Practice living life with the basics and simple things. I stopped using credit cards and trim my expenses like cutting down cable TV (anyway, I can live without it). Surely, you can't save with just a snap but sometimes it really takes time to make great things happen.