Although the article is a little old, the tips are still very useful. One way I've reduced my cell phone bill is by switching to prepaid. There are tons of different companies to choose from, and I went with Net10 because of how great their unlimited plan sounded. I pay $50 for unlimited minutes, texts, and web usage, which is great for me because I am addicted to texting! The coverage is also awesome.
No tax on any food, ever. The high price of your Belgian chocolates isn't tax; it's asked by manufacturer because it's a well-made product. The government has no business cashing in on the food business. Please: what ever happened to people taking responsibility for themselves?
But of course, when you have national health care, that's the issue: somebody has to pay. Nobody's responsible for their own health; now we feel we're all in charge when someone overeats or eats poorly.
What's going to be next? We've always suspected that watching large amounts of TV isn't all that good for you. Why not put meters on peoples' television sets and tax them for the amount of time they spend watching non-educational programming? Lack of exercise is a bad thing, too - so perhaps we should levy a tax against every day someone doesn't get at least 30 minutes of aerobic or weight bearing exercise?
Extreme examples, maybe. But then again, we were laughing at the idea of a "fat tax" ten years ago. This is what happens when government starts to micromanage our lives. We believe we can regulate/tax everything until we finally arrive at utopia. But where has there been an example of a micromanaged economy that ultimately made life better for its citizens? Hmmmmm. Five-year plans, anyone?
I have a problem!!!! I actually am addicted to my iphone, but I am paying the price. I hardly ever use it as a phone, yet I pay $90 a month for the cell service, 3G data, and texts. It's really ridiculous, and it's the only thing I really pay for that I just don't need.
So my idea is to cancel my plan, get a plain old cell phone, and use my iphone on wifi or whatever (at home and work we have wifi) like it is an ipod touch. I am looking at straight talk wireless which has a 30/month plan for 1000 minutes and 1000 texts which is plenty really and even includes 30 MB of data if I REALLY need it one day lol. I am just sick of paying $90 a month for using my iphone. Has anyone else been in this situation and what did you do? Suck it up and pay or get rid of it? I think it will be hard!
Obviously written by somebody with a job that provides good health benefits, a nice disposable income and plenty of leisure time. This represents a minority view and is not representative of the day to day lives of tens of millions of Americans.
A friend of mine also "hitchhiked" on a plane. Although it was a small airport in either Kazakhstan, or Kyrgyzstan...or another of the -stan countries. Anyway, he had four hours to wait for his plane to Moscow and as he's a really chatty, charismatic guy, someone ended up mentioning to him that an empty plane was leaving for Moscow right then for some other flight from Moscow. He got offered a ride and was the only passenger on the plane.
Although I think he had already paid for the other flight...? I don't remember the details but it's a great story nonetheless.
I say it's one of the most perverse thing in our society. We've somehow convinced ourselves that college and university are the foundation to wealth creation and it's totally false.
The time involved and the money are counter productive. One wastes 4 years and spends, what, hundreds of thousands in some cases? The experiences do not offer valuable enough knowledge so that when the student graduates they can produce value exceeding what they paid in tuition.
College and University have almost become a fad. Baby boomers seem to have been particularly addicted to the myth that "going to college" is the way to wealth. I have no idea why. Maybe generations like Gen X will raise their kids differently, it's hard to say. I am betting against the business of school in the future...I think many colleges will go broke...many are broke. Good riddance.
Certainly, if one wants to become a professional doctor, lawyer, dentist, engineer, or any other science oriented field, college and university are a must.
I went to a "great" University and the experience was "fun". My degree was in commerce and I specialize in Hotel and Tourism administration. In a nut shell, Universities have to fill 4 years, so they often make degree programs take 2-3 times longer then they need to. They're in the business of selling tuition, right?
So many of my courses were redundant I became a dissatisfied customer. I have learned so much more on my own, through reading and travel and speaking with professionals in many fields. I subscribe to newsletters and I learn on my own. I love learning despite universities short comings.
I home school my children, so I research education a great deal. I think, education like so many things is evolving. It's easy to condemn it (the norm), but it's served a purpose - good for the division of labor system - pumping out automatons, good little worker bees.
I read that the entire math curriculum from grades 1-12, if the child waited until they were naturally comfortable and ready to learn math, could be learned in 18 months! This is a game changer. The problem for most kids is being on a time clock with a bell, and having some mediocre teacher preaching, breeds mediocrity. I want more for my children.
Same goes for college and university. I'm not sending them, cause it's "the thing to do", according to the guidance councilor, main stream media and my peers. Why? Because they can't prove the worth to me. They're not dealing in facts, but fads.
A better way, might be, take $50K that might have gone into school and set a plan with your child. Plan out a voyage to 25 countries 1 month each and do a year worth of research on the movers and shakers in the major centers - the professional in law, real estate, banking, etc. Have your child travel to these places with a plan, like Barron Rothschild did with his 5 boys, sending them to the 5 major centers of Europe. Your child documents all the info they learn: laws, prices, opportunities, contacts, etc. and when they return you make a new plan to build an international business. Take another $50K or so and grub stake their new, international business. You're in for 70% stake and they get 30% and they do the work with your capital....this is what J Paul Getty's dad did with him.
Teach kids critical thinking and then think about spending a quarter million and 4 years on college....
As a high school teacher with 31 years of encouraging students, I can say that "It all depends..." Almost all jobs require some sort of additional training beyond high school, but only about 20% of all jobs require a BA or beyond. Unfortunately, because young people have a rare combination of egocentricity and optimism (that a BA in sociology will offset that $80,000 student loan...), we as adults MUST encourage fiscal responsibility with that yearning young people have. I want ALL young people to be successful, and I know the adults reading this site feel the same. Let's make sure that we tailor our advice to our kids so that our young people don't mortgage their futures away with excessive student loans.
Well said Anna and BTW anyone that plans on buying "The Wealth of Nations" should read "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" first (you can get both on Kindle for less than $2). The amount of tax deductions that corporations can make is fiscally irresponsible. No wonder every state in the Union is broke. I can only assume that these deductions are the result of generous campaign contributions.
But the original issue is over CEO salaries and to that I say 'keep the guns out of it and let the market handle it'. I was recently downsized from a major corporation and only now do I realize how bad things have gotten for all of us. We've stopped making things and are only focused on driving up stock prices. With so much downsizing, people are starting to realize how broken the current business practices are, and are starting their own companies. CEO's that are getting absurd compensation packages are free to continue doing so but I suspect one day they will realize that no one with any brains or ability is willing to work with them anymore.
We are on the verge of a Human Resource revolution where people want a better way of life. My hope is to start my own company soon and when I do, no matter what field I go into, my primary business will be to attract and retain, and improve the best people in that field. By focusing business on the staff, the staff can focus on the real business, which is what you hired them for in the first place. Imagine the profit potential of everyone in a company driven towards the success of the company.
And before I get off my soap box I just want to state for the record that I will never work for a publicly traded company again. I believe there has to be a better way of building a company than to hand it over to people who care nothing for what the company produces. I will never allow my mind to be a slave to Wall St. ever again.
when I lived in a small studio apartment I had someone make me a divider out of old doors, so when you walked in the front door, the doors sectioned off my bedroom area. I also hung a curtain around the queen bed to make a extra room inside a room. i also used the space the door dividers gave me as a small office area. So i ended up having an office area, bedroom, and living-room and kitchen all in one small studio apartment.
Compared to other countries, we need kids who are smart to continue their education, if they can afford it, for the good of the world. My 23 year old daughter had to drop out of her major in chemistry to help support the family in this horrible economy. She has many student loans, I doubt she will be able to return to college or do anything with her chemistry knowledge. Science is one of the subjects many American children are falling behind in. With Obama wanting to cut the pell grants, I am afraid my 20 year old son who is only going to community college to become a police officer, will not be able to finish his education as well. In this economy we also need the safety of the police. I have very little hope for American's children and our future as a whole.
Before I got married I was living in a Studio apartment. What I found that really worked well is actually to establish some sort of actual divider like feelings between areas. Like I had my bed in the back of the apartment, then I separated the "bedroom" from the TV are by setting up a sofa to divide the room in half. It worked well when I had visitors.
Yes! But I do think we should do a better job of preparing college students for making decisions about their majors and whether or not they are practical. Take it from an Art History major...
I myself love gadgets! However to afford them I have to wait until the price goes down. For exmaple...when the iphone came out it was over $200 but I recently bought the 3GS for $49 several weeks ago. It took a lot of patience but the wait was worth it. For all those who love gadgets but can't afford them when they come out, give it some time, everything comes down in price when it comes to electronics b/c they're always developing a new and improved version.
If you know what you want to do with your life or if you just want to enrich yourself and enjoy learning then, yes, it's worth it. It definitely helps if you can afford it, but college can be an excellent investment in yourself, your career, and your future. If you go simply because it's expected of you, your parents want you to go, all your friends are going, you don't know what else to do, or just going for the partying, then I would say not worth it.
Corporations are looking overseas to pay less in wages, and avoid paying benefits. Not because we do not have an educated work force. The majority of the jobs leaving (customer service and manufacturing) do not require a degree. Without a degree it is a global race to the bottom.
i have been using netspend for like 2 years now but i did go online and applied for it so i can do online shopping with it. i put money on it atleast once a week and they have always been good to me. i will continue to use netspend.
Saving water also saves power - and not just on your water heating bill. Most people don't realize that it takes a tremendous amount of electricity to treat and pump potable water and collect and treat wastewater. I've worked for two water utilities, and electricity was always one of the biggest items in the budget. So, by saving water, you're being "greener" than you may realize.
Well, Location, Location, Location...that is the key for me. I worked hard and I am young (41) and I sold my BIG house, got rid of my BIG job, HIGH truck Payment and relocated to southern Missouri. I just paid 6800 dollars on a house that sold for 43,835 dollars a year ago in forclosure. It has been passed around by broker after broker. It has been vacant and winterized for over a year. I offered them 5500 dollars and settled on SIX THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED for a 2 bedroom with garage, big living room and a huge bathroom. Now the whole house is only one level and about 970 square feet....but is still good enough for any couple. It has a 50 x 100 foot city lot that is has a nice flow to it. It does need only one major thing....electric panel upgrade and some carpeting and paint....good to go!! What a diamond in the rough. So, if your contemplating purchasing a home....make sure it is one you can afford in this economy and one that you dont mind putting a little elbow grease into. Good luck which ever way you decide to buy. I would rather buy it for 6800 and know that is what I paid truly for it instead of mortgaging a 250,000 dollar home that will in the end cost you over or about 500,000 by the time it gets paid off. YIKES....been there...done that...No thanks.
This is a good list, though it focuses on pretty main-stream kind of volunteering, I would imagine a lot of these have less than 5-star living situations..
I put together a list of the top 6 resources for free or cheap travel, and a lot of them incorporate nice living arrangements, even ways to get paid while traveling. take a look!
Although the article is a little old, the tips are still very useful. One way I've reduced my cell phone bill is by switching to prepaid. There are tons of different companies to choose from, and I went with Net10 because of how great their unlimited plan sounded. I pay $50 for unlimited minutes, texts, and web usage, which is great for me because I am addicted to texting! The coverage is also awesome.
Add 1 can of coke(diet,zero,regular) to a cheap chocolate cake mix and cook as directed, delicious and moist!
No tax on any food, ever. The high price of your Belgian chocolates isn't tax; it's asked by manufacturer because it's a well-made product. The government has no business cashing in on the food business. Please: what ever happened to people taking responsibility for themselves?
But of course, when you have national health care, that's the issue: somebody has to pay. Nobody's responsible for their own health; now we feel we're all in charge when someone overeats or eats poorly.
What's going to be next? We've always suspected that watching large amounts of TV isn't all that good for you. Why not put meters on peoples' television sets and tax them for the amount of time they spend watching non-educational programming? Lack of exercise is a bad thing, too - so perhaps we should levy a tax against every day someone doesn't get at least 30 minutes of aerobic or weight bearing exercise?
Extreme examples, maybe. But then again, we were laughing at the idea of a "fat tax" ten years ago. This is what happens when government starts to micromanage our lives. We believe we can regulate/tax everything until we finally arrive at utopia. But where has there been an example of a micromanaged economy that ultimately made life better for its citizens? Hmmmmm. Five-year plans, anyone?
Just stay out of peoples' lives. Please.
I have a problem!!!! I actually am addicted to my iphone, but I am paying the price. I hardly ever use it as a phone, yet I pay $90 a month for the cell service, 3G data, and texts. It's really ridiculous, and it's the only thing I really pay for that I just don't need.
So my idea is to cancel my plan, get a plain old cell phone, and use my iphone on wifi or whatever (at home and work we have wifi) like it is an ipod touch. I am looking at straight talk wireless which has a 30/month plan for 1000 minutes and 1000 texts which is plenty really and even includes 30 MB of data if I REALLY need it one day lol. I am just sick of paying $90 a month for using my iphone. Has anyone else been in this situation and what did you do? Suck it up and pay or get rid of it? I think it will be hard!
Obviously written by somebody with a job that provides good health benefits, a nice disposable income and plenty of leisure time. This represents a minority view and is not representative of the day to day lives of tens of millions of Americans.
do you mean making cookies out of cake mix or cookie mix> sure would like to know.
sharon
A friend of mine also "hitchhiked" on a plane. Although it was a small airport in either Kazakhstan, or Kyrgyzstan...or another of the -stan countries. Anyway, he had four hours to wait for his plane to Moscow and as he's a really chatty, charismatic guy, someone ended up mentioning to him that an empty plane was leaving for Moscow right then for some other flight from Moscow. He got offered a ride and was the only passenger on the plane.
Although I think he had already paid for the other flight...? I don't remember the details but it's a great story nonetheless.
I say it's one of the most perverse thing in our society. We've somehow convinced ourselves that college and university are the foundation to wealth creation and it's totally false.
The time involved and the money are counter productive. One wastes 4 years and spends, what, hundreds of thousands in some cases? The experiences do not offer valuable enough knowledge so that when the student graduates they can produce value exceeding what they paid in tuition.
College and University have almost become a fad. Baby boomers seem to have been particularly addicted to the myth that "going to college" is the way to wealth. I have no idea why. Maybe generations like Gen X will raise their kids differently, it's hard to say. I am betting against the business of school in the future...I think many colleges will go broke...many are broke. Good riddance.
Certainly, if one wants to become a professional doctor, lawyer, dentist, engineer, or any other science oriented field, college and university are a must.
I went to a "great" University and the experience was "fun". My degree was in commerce and I specialize in Hotel and Tourism administration. In a nut shell, Universities have to fill 4 years, so they often make degree programs take 2-3 times longer then they need to. They're in the business of selling tuition, right?
So many of my courses were redundant I became a dissatisfied customer. I have learned so much more on my own, through reading and travel and speaking with professionals in many fields. I subscribe to newsletters and I learn on my own. I love learning despite universities short comings.
I home school my children, so I research education a great deal. I think, education like so many things is evolving. It's easy to condemn it (the norm), but it's served a purpose - good for the division of labor system - pumping out automatons, good little worker bees.
I read that the entire math curriculum from grades 1-12, if the child waited until they were naturally comfortable and ready to learn math, could be learned in 18 months! This is a game changer. The problem for most kids is being on a time clock with a bell, and having some mediocre teacher preaching, breeds mediocrity. I want more for my children.
Same goes for college and university. I'm not sending them, cause it's "the thing to do", according to the guidance councilor, main stream media and my peers. Why? Because they can't prove the worth to me. They're not dealing in facts, but fads.
A better way, might be, take $50K that might have gone into school and set a plan with your child. Plan out a voyage to 25 countries 1 month each and do a year worth of research on the movers and shakers in the major centers - the professional in law, real estate, banking, etc. Have your child travel to these places with a plan, like Barron Rothschild did with his 5 boys, sending them to the 5 major centers of Europe. Your child documents all the info they learn: laws, prices, opportunities, contacts, etc. and when they return you make a new plan to build an international business. Take another $50K or so and grub stake their new, international business. You're in for 70% stake and they get 30% and they do the work with your capital....this is what J Paul Getty's dad did with him.
Teach kids critical thinking and then think about spending a quarter million and 4 years on college....
Thanks for the mention Ashley!
As a high school teacher with 31 years of encouraging students, I can say that "It all depends..." Almost all jobs require some sort of additional training beyond high school, but only about 20% of all jobs require a BA or beyond. Unfortunately, because young people have a rare combination of egocentricity and optimism (that a BA in sociology will offset that $80,000 student loan...), we as adults MUST encourage fiscal responsibility with that yearning young people have. I want ALL young people to be successful, and I know the adults reading this site feel the same. Let's make sure that we tailor our advice to our kids so that our young people don't mortgage their futures away with excessive student loans.
Well said Anna and BTW anyone that plans on buying "The Wealth of Nations" should read "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" first (you can get both on Kindle for less than $2). The amount of tax deductions that corporations can make is fiscally irresponsible. No wonder every state in the Union is broke. I can only assume that these deductions are the result of generous campaign contributions.
But the original issue is over CEO salaries and to that I say 'keep the guns out of it and let the market handle it'. I was recently downsized from a major corporation and only now do I realize how bad things have gotten for all of us. We've stopped making things and are only focused on driving up stock prices. With so much downsizing, people are starting to realize how broken the current business practices are, and are starting their own companies. CEO's that are getting absurd compensation packages are free to continue doing so but I suspect one day they will realize that no one with any brains or ability is willing to work with them anymore.
We are on the verge of a Human Resource revolution where people want a better way of life. My hope is to start my own company soon and when I do, no matter what field I go into, my primary business will be to attract and retain, and improve the best people in that field. By focusing business on the staff, the staff can focus on the real business, which is what you hired them for in the first place. Imagine the profit potential of everyone in a company driven towards the success of the company.
And before I get off my soap box I just want to state for the record that I will never work for a publicly traded company again. I believe there has to be a better way of building a company than to hand it over to people who care nothing for what the company produces. I will never allow my mind to be a slave to Wall St. ever again.
when I lived in a small studio apartment I had someone make me a divider out of old doors, so when you walked in the front door, the doors sectioned off my bedroom area. I also hung a curtain around the queen bed to make a extra room inside a room. i also used the space the door dividers gave me as a small office area. So i ended up having an office area, bedroom, and living-room and kitchen all in one small studio apartment.
Compared to other countries, we need kids who are smart to continue their education, if they can afford it, for the good of the world. My 23 year old daughter had to drop out of her major in chemistry to help support the family in this horrible economy. She has many student loans, I doubt she will be able to return to college or do anything with her chemistry knowledge. Science is one of the subjects many American children are falling behind in. With Obama wanting to cut the pell grants, I am afraid my 20 year old son who is only going to community college to become a police officer, will not be able to finish his education as well. In this economy we also need the safety of the police. I have very little hope for American's children and our future as a whole.
Before I got married I was living in a Studio apartment. What I found that really worked well is actually to establish some sort of actual divider like feelings between areas. Like I had my bed in the back of the apartment, then I separated the "bedroom" from the TV are by setting up a sofa to divide the room in half. It worked well when I had visitors.
just don't ever dilute baby formula. Your baby won't get the nutrients it needs!
Yes! But I do think we should do a better job of preparing college students for making decisions about their majors and whether or not they are practical. Take it from an Art History major...
oh my gosh! i'm so sorry for your dog
I myself love gadgets! However to afford them I have to wait until the price goes down. For exmaple...when the iphone came out it was over $200 but I recently bought the 3GS for $49 several weeks ago. It took a lot of patience but the wait was worth it. For all those who love gadgets but can't afford them when they come out, give it some time, everything comes down in price when it comes to electronics b/c they're always developing a new and improved version.
If you know what you want to do with your life or if you just want to enrich yourself and enjoy learning then, yes, it's worth it. It definitely helps if you can afford it, but college can be an excellent investment in yourself, your career, and your future. If you go simply because it's expected of you, your parents want you to go, all your friends are going, you don't know what else to do, or just going for the partying, then I would say not worth it.
Corporations are looking overseas to pay less in wages, and avoid paying benefits. Not because we do not have an educated work force. The majority of the jobs leaving (customer service and manufacturing) do not require a degree. Without a degree it is a global race to the bottom.
i have been using netspend for like 2 years now but i did go online and applied for it so i can do online shopping with it. i put money on it atleast once a week and they have always been good to me. i will continue to use netspend.
Saving water also saves power - and not just on your water heating bill. Most people don't realize that it takes a tremendous amount of electricity to treat and pump potable water and collect and treat wastewater. I've worked for two water utilities, and electricity was always one of the biggest items in the budget. So, by saving water, you're being "greener" than you may realize.
Well, Location, Location, Location...that is the key for me. I worked hard and I am young (41) and I sold my BIG house, got rid of my BIG job, HIGH truck Payment and relocated to southern Missouri. I just paid 6800 dollars on a house that sold for 43,835 dollars a year ago in forclosure. It has been passed around by broker after broker. It has been vacant and winterized for over a year. I offered them 5500 dollars and settled on SIX THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED for a 2 bedroom with garage, big living room and a huge bathroom. Now the whole house is only one level and about 970 square feet....but is still good enough for any couple. It has a 50 x 100 foot city lot that is has a nice flow to it. It does need only one major thing....electric panel upgrade and some carpeting and paint....good to go!! What a diamond in the rough. So, if your contemplating purchasing a home....make sure it is one you can afford in this economy and one that you dont mind putting a little elbow grease into. Good luck which ever way you decide to buy. I would rather buy it for 6800 and know that is what I paid truly for it instead of mortgaging a 250,000 dollar home that will in the end cost you over or about 500,000 by the time it gets paid off. YIKES....been there...done that...No thanks.
This is a good list, though it focuses on pretty main-stream kind of volunteering, I would imagine a lot of these have less than 5-star living situations..
I put together a list of the top 6 resources for free or cheap travel, and a lot of them incorporate nice living arrangements, even ways to get paid while traveling. take a look!
This makes no SENSE! He would obviously have his own garage t keep it in! Who the hell parks an exotic car on the street??