Good for you! I got my first credit card (a Sears card) around the age of 22 or 23, soon after landing in my first post-college job. I used it to buy my first television. Having said that, I think the ideal age to get one's first credit card is: never. I still use credit cards, but I use them strategically. However, they have done me and my family far more harm over the years than good...no question.
In college. It was supposed to help me "build my credit", which I suppose it has, but it's also a too-tempting "fallback" for sudden expenses and big purchases.
I applied for and received my first credit card when I was in college. I was working and really wanted a floppy drive for my computer. As you can guess this was quite a few years ago. It took me several months to pay it off.
I think having a stable job is required before you think about a credit card, whatever the age.
For many online newspapers, you can hit the 'print' button and it will show as a single page article without any distracting flash ads. It will likely prompt you to actually print, but you can hit Esc and have the simple page there.
This is a helpful topic for us bigger gals. When I was much smaller and in college, I took a sewing class and had to make a button-up blouse. The instructor was a very experienced seamstress. She taught us how to increase and decrease the size of the pattern to adjust to bust size, small shoulders, and short waists, among other things. I was able to go from a size 8 to a 6, and the clothes fit perfectly. To be a size 6 again. Where's the celery?
As I read it, what you're doing is fine—there's a separate $5,000 limit on paper and electronic bonds.
In addition, you can do the same thing with Series EE bonds, meaning that you could buy up to $20,000 worth of savings bonds per year. (Although at the moment, I don't see series EE bonds as a particularly good deal.)
Hey Phillip - a quick question. Until last year, I had been buying 5K of electronic I bonds AND 5K of paper I bonds (from the bank) to total 10K/yr and that was allowed by the feds. You mention that the limit is now 5K. Does that mean you can no longer buy any paper I bonds?
So many of these are excellent ideas that people just don't think about. Thanks very much, Meg, for reminding me how to say thanks in unexpected and surprising ways. I especially like the idea of taking a picture of myself using a gift. I'll definitely do that in the future.
I really like the idea of using book clubs to get into deeper discussions. A movie group could be great as well -- I love having unexpected conversations with friends after watching a film together.
Is anybody else currently part of a book group like this?
I love sunglasses, belts and scarves. I have waaaay too many of each. And I'll tell you a little secret - I grew my hair out once and wore a headband (a very masculine one, thankyouverymuch) when I was in Europe. Other boys were wearing them, so I thought I'd try it out, too. Turns out it's not quite my look, but it was fun trying something new. Nice piece.
I love sunglasses, belts and scarves. I have waaaay too many of each. And I'll tell you a little secret - I grew my hair out once and wore a headband (a very masculine one, thankyouverymuch) when I was in Europe. Other boys were wearing them, so I thought I'd try it out, too. Turns out it's not quite my look, but it was fun trying something new. Nice piece.
Personally, I am waiting until the fix rate increase to 1% or more before I invest. I expect that within 5 years the interest rate will increase so there is no reason for me to get any more I bonds. While I wait, I have my EF is the I bond I have and in a high yield checking account.
I would recommend instead of stocking on disposable diapers that you look into cloth diapers. Yes, a large initial investment but they definitely pay off.
Be careful with FSA savings accounts. The money is taxed now when you take the money out of the account. It was one thing that was done to help pay for this new health care law.
I agree. Between cloth diapers (WAY easier than expected! love them!) and breastfeeding, we have saved so much money already, and our baby is only 7 months old. Whenever I'm at the store and see the high costs of formula and disposable diapers, I am thankful that we made those two decisions... plus it's best for our baby, which is even more important.
That colour coding scheme is used by Wonder bread and its subsidiaries.
For Mrs. Bairds (including Oroweat, Arnolds, Bimbo) The colour code is:
Mon: Brown
Tues: Orange
Thur: Yellow
Fri: Blue
Sat: Red
Sara Lee (including Rainbo), and Flowers brand bread have their own colour coding system. But as far as a date on the package that is legally required for vendor delivered product (non frozen) FYI, bread generally has a 10 day code (product life) which involves usually 7 days on market and 3 days in thrift store before it is not sold for human consumption. The colour ties are to aid in shelf rotation. Contrary to the article the grocery store RARELY stocks this bread. It is the bread companies themselves who have employees in the store multiple times a day to fill the shelves.
My knowledge on this is based on 16 years as both a manager for IBC Wonder Bread and 8 years as a Bimbo Bakeries (Mrs Bairds) franchise owner.
note: I really enjoy Lifehacker articles, but someone should have done a bit of homework on this, what I have just explained is common knowledge amongst bread vendors or grocery managers.
In China, the traditional bread is mantou. It is made by steaming or deep frying dough made from wheat flour. In Northern China and northern central China, mantou is often eaten as an alternative staple to rice. Steamed Mantou is similar to western white bread, but since it is not baked, it does not have a brown outer crust. Mantou that have a filling such as meat or vegetables (char siu bao, for example) are called "baozi".
In Japan, there are many delicious bakeries. The breads and pasteries are more similar to French breads than American breads, but they have many original Japanese flavors and fillings. "Pan" means bread or pasterie in Japanese. Popular Japanese breads are "an-pan"(bread with sweet red bean filling), "curry pan"(bread with curry fillings).
The value of college is absolutely worth the cost, provided that students are getting a solid liberal arts foundation that teaches them critical thinking and creative problem solving skills. Those skills will last a lifetime, whereas the applied skills you learn will have to be updated as technology and practices evolve, and will help you in your personal life as well as in the workplace.
Breastfeeding is wonderful, but it's only 'free' if a woman's time is worth nothing. It is a commitment, plain and simple, and there are costs that are not financial (or in some cases are financial, like pumps, lactation consultants, and/or if you work outside the home and need to take unpaid breaks to pump). Also that $13 billion saved study from Pediatrics has been pretty well debunked: http://mommadata.blogspot.com/2011/02/surgeon-generals-botches-breastfee...
It is a wonderful thing to do for your baby and has lots of great benefits to be sure, but let's represent them honestly. Formula is NOT bad for babies, but it is more expensive in many ways!
Good for you! I got my first credit card (a Sears card) around the age of 22 or 23, soon after landing in my first post-college job. I used it to buy my first television. Having said that, I think the ideal age to get one's first credit card is: never. I still use credit cards, but I use them strategically. However, they have done me and my family far more harm over the years than good...no question.
20
In college. It was supposed to help me "build my credit", which I suppose it has, but it's also a too-tempting "fallback" for sudden expenses and big purchases.
What about painting as well? Especially if the walls and ceilings are the same colour, so don't involve cutting in.
I applied for and received my first credit card when I was in college. I was working and really wanted a floppy drive for my computer. As you can guess this was quite a few years ago. It took me several months to pay it off.
I think having a stable job is required before you think about a credit card, whatever the age.
I got my first two credit cards in college. I'm pretty sure I got t-shirts for both of them. Those ended up being expensive t-shirts.
I try to clean the inside of the windows and wipe down the blinds. Amazing what clean windows will add to a house in terms of sparkle!
For many online newspapers, you can hit the 'print' button and it will show as a single page article without any distracting flash ads. It will likely prompt you to actually print, but you can hit Esc and have the simple page there.
This is a helpful topic for us bigger gals. When I was much smaller and in college, I took a sewing class and had to make a button-up blouse. The instructor was a very experienced seamstress. She taught us how to increase and decrease the size of the pattern to adjust to bust size, small shoulders, and short waists, among other things. I was able to go from a size 8 to a 6, and the clothes fit perfectly. To be a size 6 again. Where's the celery?
Here's the article on purchase limits:
http://www.savingsbonds.gov/indiv/research/articles/res_invest_articles_...
As I read it, what you're doing is fine—there's a separate $5,000 limit on paper and electronic bonds.
In addition, you can do the same thing with Series EE bonds, meaning that you could buy up to $20,000 worth of savings bonds per year. (Although at the moment, I don't see series EE bonds as a particularly good deal.)
Hey Phillip - a quick question. Until last year, I had been buying 5K of electronic I bonds AND 5K of paper I bonds (from the bank) to total 10K/yr and that was allowed by the feds. You mention that the limit is now 5K. Does that mean you can no longer buy any paper I bonds?
So many of these are excellent ideas that people just don't think about. Thanks very much, Meg, for reminding me how to say thanks in unexpected and surprising ways. I especially like the idea of taking a picture of myself using a gift. I'll definitely do that in the future.
I really like the idea of using book clubs to get into deeper discussions. A movie group could be great as well -- I love having unexpected conversations with friends after watching a film together.
Is anybody else currently part of a book group like this?
I love sunglasses, belts and scarves. I have waaaay too many of each. And I'll tell you a little secret - I grew my hair out once and wore a headband (a very masculine one, thankyouverymuch) when I was in Europe. Other boys were wearing them, so I thought I'd try it out, too. Turns out it's not quite my look, but it was fun trying something new. Nice piece.
I love sunglasses, belts and scarves. I have waaaay too many of each. And I'll tell you a little secret - I grew my hair out once and wore a headband (a very masculine one, thankyouverymuch) when I was in Europe. Other boys were wearing them, so I thought I'd try it out, too. Turns out it's not quite my look, but it was fun trying something new. Nice piece.
Personally, I am waiting until the fix rate increase to 1% or more before I invest. I expect that within 5 years the interest rate will increase so there is no reason for me to get any more I bonds. While I wait, I have my EF is the I bond I have and in a high yield checking account.
I had a better day because of this. :)
I would recommend instead of stocking on disposable diapers that you look into cloth diapers. Yes, a large initial investment but they definitely pay off.
Be careful with FSA savings accounts. The money is taxed now when you take the money out of the account. It was one thing that was done to help pay for this new health care law.
I agree. Between cloth diapers (WAY easier than expected! love them!) and breastfeeding, we have saved so much money already, and our baby is only 7 months old. Whenever I'm at the store and see the high costs of formula and disposable diapers, I am thankful that we made those two decisions... plus it's best for our baby, which is even more important.
That colour coding scheme is used by Wonder bread and its subsidiaries.
For Mrs. Bairds (including Oroweat, Arnolds, Bimbo) The colour code is:
Mon: Brown
Tues: Orange
Thur: Yellow
Fri: Blue
Sat: Red
Sara Lee (including Rainbo), and Flowers brand bread have their own colour coding system. But as far as a date on the package that is legally required for vendor delivered product (non frozen) FYI, bread generally has a 10 day code (product life) which involves usually 7 days on market and 3 days in thrift store before it is not sold for human consumption. The colour ties are to aid in shelf rotation. Contrary to the article the grocery store RARELY stocks this bread. It is the bread companies themselves who have employees in the store multiple times a day to fill the shelves.
My knowledge on this is based on 16 years as both a manager for IBC Wonder Bread and 8 years as a Bimbo Bakeries (Mrs Bairds) franchise owner.
note: I really enjoy Lifehacker articles, but someone should have done a bit of homework on this, what I have just explained is common knowledge amongst bread vendors or grocery managers.
OK, so...
In China, the traditional bread is mantou. It is made by steaming or deep frying dough made from wheat flour. In Northern China and northern central China, mantou is often eaten as an alternative staple to rice. Steamed Mantou is similar to western white bread, but since it is not baked, it does not have a brown outer crust. Mantou that have a filling such as meat or vegetables (char siu bao, for example) are called "baozi".
In Japan, there are many delicious bakeries. The breads and pasteries are more similar to French breads than American breads, but they have many original Japanese flavors and fillings. "Pan" means bread or pasterie in Japanese. Popular Japanese breads are "an-pan"(bread with sweet red bean filling), "curry pan"(bread with curry fillings).
"It’s the one food eaten by people of every race, culture, or religion. "
...except Asian countries such as China and Japan, whose citizens get their starch elsewhere (see: rice).
The value of college is absolutely worth the cost, provided that students are getting a solid liberal arts foundation that teaches them critical thinking and creative problem solving skills. Those skills will last a lifetime, whereas the applied skills you learn will have to be updated as technology and practices evolve, and will help you in your personal life as well as in the workplace.
Breastfeeding is wonderful, but it's only 'free' if a woman's time is worth nothing. It is a commitment, plain and simple, and there are costs that are not financial (or in some cases are financial, like pumps, lactation consultants, and/or if you work outside the home and need to take unpaid breaks to pump). Also that $13 billion saved study from Pediatrics has been pretty well debunked: http://mommadata.blogspot.com/2011/02/surgeon-generals-botches-breastfee...
It is a wonderful thing to do for your baby and has lots of great benefits to be sure, but let's represent them honestly. Formula is NOT bad for babies, but it is more expensive in many ways!