Well, go right ahead on your own if you know so much. But every day I have people come to me with issues that they would not have if they had used the services of a good agent. People who got a quit claim deed instead of a warranty deed, people who did not realize that they needed survey to know the boundaries of their parcel, buyers who never bothered to get title insurance, people who did not realize that if they are buying a land AND a mobile home they need to get a deed AND a title(s) to the mobile, others who were not informed that the property was in a flood zone, and on and on. At this point, I cannot help them since I am not an attorney. They have to put out a lot of money to undo the damage that has been done. And sometimes it cannot be undone. They just have to swallow, accept and go on. So do it yourself. And while you are at it, why not try to give yourself an appendectomy. Makes about as much sense. Oh, and by the way, in our area the buyer does not pay the commission, so what money are you saving for taking so many risks? $0. But if it makes you happy, do it. Just don't come whining afterwards.
Brewer I actually ordered this book last week, can't wait to read it :-) I really appreciate your quick reply, i was thinking this maybe my only option as i know taking the lid of to check temp will complete mess up the process..
Dolly Freed didn't use a thermometer—she just did "quality control" (i.e. drinking a bit of the product as it was produced). The first shot is going to be almost pure alcohol. Each shot after that is going to be a little less alcohol and a little more water. At some point the alcohol content is going to be low enough that you can't taste it any more. At that point, your run is done—further distilling would be a waste of energy.
Ive read nearly 500 post and did not come with and answer. Im going to purchase and pressure cooker and Im goin to have to figure out where and how to manage the temp. From what I understand is that the mash will not get hotter than 180 degrees until it starts getting weaker at this pt the temp will rise and its time to stop. Where and how would you put a thermometer in the lid of the pot? Thanks to you and the Brew man and all who has took the time and effort to answer questions..
While I've been a tea drinking gal for years, in recent months I've become hooked on Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea (regular and decaf), because not only does it have a strong, spicy taste, you don't need to add sweetener! It advertises that it's naturally sweet, which I didn't believe until I ponied up and bought some. Now, I make sure to keep some at home (will be ordering more this week for me and a relative who had a recent birthday). It's sweet enough that I sometimes add milk to make a quick, healthy, chai. Harney & Sons' service is quite good, as they send the shipment via FedEx, and it gets to your house in a couple of days (for shipping of only about $5.50).
On the herbal side, at any local supermarket you can probably find Celestial Seasonings' Bengal Spice blend, which is also tasty and aromatic, even if you don't add sweetener.
Socialism? Lets see... Thats when the state thinks it can do a better or more equitable job distributing resources (wealth) than the market can, for the good of the people of course.
My children are old enough to plan their own breakfast & lunches (10 & 14), instead of them filling up my buggy with lots of junk, they get a basket do their shopping and meet me in the front of the store. It keeps them focused on specific items (sandwich supplies, chips, juice, etc), I haven't given them a budget, but it seems to be saving me both time and money.
I'm pretty sure that there was a choir of angels singing when my 14 year old son told me that they calculated the per ounce cost for lunch meat and picked the better value!
I've heard of a new product that helps to limit the amount of paper that you pull off of the roll to what you need. It seems like a great way to not waste paper, help preserve the enviroment and save money on wasted paper. rollitrite.com is the web site. Made in USA and eco-friendly, too.
I am subscribed to Groupon, Living Social and a variety of other sites, but I have not taken advantage of any offers. The majority just don't appeal to me or don't fit into my budget at the time of the offer. I have also noticed that the offers are located in larger cities rather than the area I live in. The money I would spend in gas to redeem the offer cancels out the option of purchasing. I recently found a site that does offer deals/discounts in my area. I love it! It is called 8coupons.com. Check it out!
I'm not much for "green" or "eco-friendly," and I'll admit the environment isn't a major factor in my purchasing decisions, but I think those container homes/buildings look absolutely amazing. I wouldn't mind owning one.
Great article. I agree completely, especially with pest control. DEFINITELY make sure to shop around. I recently had quotes vary $100. All I had to do was call 5 and pick the best deal. Keep up the good posts!
I have used Groupon, too. I have used the $10. for $20. Amazon GC offer and the Barnes and Noble offer. A lot of the offers are for things I wouldn't use, but I keep watching and find things here and there that I like.
We budget and use the envelope system. Every Friday we withdraw $200. $40 for each of us as an allowance for the week (to be spent any way you want without question), $80 food and $40 date night. I do the grocery shopping and if I go over I take it out of my allowance. My husband will usually take extra out of his allowance if our date night exceeds our alottment, but we usually don't have to worry about that. At the end of the week if we have money left over from grocery shopping, date night or our allowances we have what we call the "stash". The "stash" is used for fun extras like the unexpected wedding gift, baby shower, invitations to a show or restaurant with friends...all of the things that make life unexpectedly sweet. All of our bills are automatically set up to be paid by our bank online. We average the amount for utilities and do not touch the checking amounts unless it starts creeping up, then we transfer some money to the savings account. Expenses like car insurance, vacations, annual clothing allowance, car tags, renter's insurance, birthdays, Christmas, and many other once or twice a year expenses plus money for car repairs, medical emergencies, and unexpected times are added together and divided by 12. Each month that amount is taken out of our checking account and transfered into a savings account. When it comes time to pay for these items that amount is transfered back into checking and the money is always there. This amount is no small amount at over $800 a month, but what most people do not understand is that just because it is not a monthly expense does not mean it is not an expense that needs to be budgeted for on a monthly basis. We usually have money left over at the end of the year and we can put an additional amount into a separate savings account for long term savings, treat ourselves to something unexpected like tickets to a theater productions and donate to charities. Usually we are able to do all three and we love that feeling.
We also have separate long term savings (not tax free), retirement and medical savings that are tax free for our healthcare expenses like eyeglasses, Dr co-pays, RX co-pays, dental bills, etc. All of this comes out of my husbands paycheck before he even gets his check and we never miss the money. This year we knew we both needed new eyeglasses and increased the medical deductions to cover that. It is a huge savings for our taxes.
It may sound as if we are doing really well by some people's standards, but I have huge medical issues, we recently had to relocate because we lost our jobs and luckily DH got a job, but I did not. Neither of us were elligible for unemployment because we were self employed. My job now is to take care of all the things we used to pay for. Great dinners are now at home instead of at restaurants, I do laundry instead of dry cleaning services, we rent and do not own a home, our cars are used and older, but paid in full, we use the library and red box for most of our entertainment, shopping is at thrift stores and consignment shops instead of the mall and department stores.
We lost everything a short while ago and now we have to re-group to be abe to retire with more than just social security. It is not easy, but it is necessary and we are happier than we have been in a long time.
It doesn't stop it, but it helps a LOT! I use it in the summer all the time because I'm really sensitive to the heat, and it's especially great for when I'm going out and want to wear a little makeup without it melting off my face after a few hours!
Okay, I'm gonna be a complete girl with this one, but I am not doing the whole bug thing. I happily pay someone to do the whole pest control thing and I don't regret it. Everything else is game though.
I have used Groupon a few times and Livingsocial for the Amazon discount they recently had. My husband purchased a coupon for eye glasses and the store highly discouraged him from using the groupon and they had nothing he liked. I purchased one for a spa treatment and could never get anyone to answer the phone, the voicemail was always full and e-mails via their personal website were not answered. The other 3 groupons I did use were great. Groupon was very helpful in giving me and my husband credit for future purchases with them and I will use them and Livingsocial again. I will also be careful in the future about which company I choose to purchase from. Smaller companies do not fully realize the flood of business that can come their way and are not able to handle all the appointments and I wonder if some of the newer businesses can financially withstand the demand of service and goods at such a reduced price. The Groupon representative I spoke with about getting a refund because I could not get an appointment at the spa advised that I should use the groupon as soon as possible because in cases where the company was small you usually had a better chance of getting an appointment earlier rather than later.
OK. As a retail manager, there are two things about this article that really grind my gears.
First- we're not greeting you at the door to "up" our sales. We're greeting you so you know that we know you're there. In interviews done with professional shoplifters by my company's loss prevention team, the thieves admitted that they didn't like being acknowledged. Once the clerk was alerted to their presence, they would be less likely to steal.
Second- we've been trained by customers to ask if you would like the receipt in the bag or with you. If it was up to me, I would put the receipt in the bag every time. 6 out of every 10 customers would prefer to keep the receipt in their wallet/pocket/purse, and if you put it in the bag they then spend time at the counter digging it out and filing it away. It just saves both of us time to ask at the point of sale.
All the other stuff you're whining about (shoddy merchandise, donation requests, surveys, i.e. "bounce-back coupons") are increasingly becoming more common because more people are choosing to shop online. Get used to it.
I love Groupon because I like to give experiences, instead of physical gifts that eventually get thrown away or go out of style. Groupon has allowed me to do that for my family at half price!
This also applies to those loud, crowded chain restaurants where the waitstaff practically attack you before you sit down and crack open a menu and everyone is addressed as "you guys" and they are forced to grin and no one can hear. then the waitress or waiter bends down sometimes and writes his or her name on the paper tablecloth. All to give impression you are having "fun" while overeating and overspending. Remember "guys" TGIF's went out of business in this area, they suffered from over- Hyped up terrible food no doubt
Instead of buying an expensive "autograph book" we bought $1 journals at the Dollar Tree with Winnie the Pooh on them. My two daughters used them to get autographs from tons of characters and when we got home used the rest of the pages to paste photos into. Great scrapbooks of a great vacation! It was three years ago and we still look at them.
I've been on both sides also. First time, I was one of the laid-off group. I did feel happy, but that company offered outstanding severance, benefits, etc., so there was a feeling of security while I searched for another position. I liked the job very much, but I was also ready to look for something different, so the timing was good for me.
Second time, I'm one of the surviving employees. I do miss my co-workers, but the company I'm with now is great and morale does not seem to have taken a terrible turn. This company also gave very good benefits to those who had to leave.
I think it must be much worse when laid-off people are treated badly, with little notice or severance or benefits. Although it can be exciting to look for something new, it's scary when it's a sudden kick out the door with little support.
Well, go right ahead on your own if you know so much. But every day I have people come to me with issues that they would not have if they had used the services of a good agent. People who got a quit claim deed instead of a warranty deed, people who did not realize that they needed survey to know the boundaries of their parcel, buyers who never bothered to get title insurance, people who did not realize that if they are buying a land AND a mobile home they need to get a deed AND a title(s) to the mobile, others who were not informed that the property was in a flood zone, and on and on. At this point, I cannot help them since I am not an attorney. They have to put out a lot of money to undo the damage that has been done. And sometimes it cannot be undone. They just have to swallow, accept and go on. So do it yourself. And while you are at it, why not try to give yourself an appendectomy. Makes about as much sense. Oh, and by the way, in our area the buyer does not pay the commission, so what money are you saving for taking so many risks? $0. But if it makes you happy, do it. Just don't come whining afterwards.
Brewer I actually ordered this book last week, can't wait to read it :-) I really appreciate your quick reply, i was thinking this maybe my only option as i know taking the lid of to check temp will complete mess up the process..
Great article -- there's not nearly enough content or discussion about prefab going on in this country. Thanks for posting!
Dolly Freed didn't use a thermometer—she just did "quality control" (i.e. drinking a bit of the product as it was produced). The first shot is going to be almost pure alcohol. Each shot after that is going to be a little less alcohol and a little more water. At some point the alcohol content is going to be low enough that you can't taste it any more. At that point, your run is done—further distilling would be a waste of energy.
Zorcy
Ive read nearly 500 post and did not come with and answer. Im going to purchase and pressure cooker and Im goin to have to figure out where and how to manage the temp. From what I understand is that the mash will not get hotter than 180 degrees until it starts getting weaker at this pt the temp will rise and its time to stop. Where and how would you put a thermometer in the lid of the pot? Thanks to you and the Brew man and all who has took the time and effort to answer questions..
I've been fascinated with all sorts of home designs for a while now, but those container homes are quite amazing.
Tumbleweed Tiny Homes aren't for everyone, but they are adorable, and a great alternative for some people.
While I've been a tea drinking gal for years, in recent months I've become hooked on Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea (regular and decaf), because not only does it have a strong, spicy taste, you don't need to add sweetener! It advertises that it's naturally sweet, which I didn't believe until I ponied up and bought some. Now, I make sure to keep some at home (will be ordering more this week for me and a relative who had a recent birthday). It's sweet enough that I sometimes add milk to make a quick, healthy, chai. Harney & Sons' service is quite good, as they send the shipment via FedEx, and it gets to your house in a couple of days (for shipping of only about $5.50).
On the herbal side, at any local supermarket you can probably find Celestial Seasonings' Bengal Spice blend, which is also tasty and aromatic, even if you don't add sweetener.
Great point about being careful when it comes to buying from smaller businesses.
Socialism? Lets see... Thats when the state thinks it can do a better or more equitable job distributing resources (wealth) than the market can, for the good of the people of course.
How am I doing so far??
My children are old enough to plan their own breakfast & lunches (10 & 14), instead of them filling up my buggy with lots of junk, they get a basket do their shopping and meet me in the front of the store. It keeps them focused on specific items (sandwich supplies, chips, juice, etc), I haven't given them a budget, but it seems to be saving me both time and money.
I'm pretty sure that there was a choir of angels singing when my 14 year old son told me that they calculated the per ounce cost for lunch meat and picked the better value!
I've heard of a new product that helps to limit the amount of paper that you pull off of the roll to what you need. It seems like a great way to not waste paper, help preserve the enviroment and save money on wasted paper. rollitrite.com is the web site. Made in USA and eco-friendly, too.
I am subscribed to Groupon, Living Social and a variety of other sites, but I have not taken advantage of any offers. The majority just don't appeal to me or don't fit into my budget at the time of the offer. I have also noticed that the offers are located in larger cities rather than the area I live in. The money I would spend in gas to redeem the offer cancels out the option of purchasing. I recently found a site that does offer deals/discounts in my area. I love it! It is called 8coupons.com. Check it out!
You forgot to mention that all those people who say hello are never around when you need help or to get another size while in the changing rooms.
I'm not much for "green" or "eco-friendly," and I'll admit the environment isn't a major factor in my purchasing decisions, but I think those container homes/buildings look absolutely amazing. I wouldn't mind owning one.
As for the Tumbleweed tiny homes...yeah right! :P
Great article. I agree completely, especially with pest control. DEFINITELY make sure to shop around. I recently had quotes vary $100. All I had to do was call 5 and pick the best deal. Keep up the good posts!
I have used Groupon, too. I have used the $10. for $20. Amazon GC offer and the Barnes and Noble offer. A lot of the offers are for things I wouldn't use, but I keep watching and find things here and there that I like.
We budget and use the envelope system. Every Friday we withdraw $200. $40 for each of us as an allowance for the week (to be spent any way you want without question), $80 food and $40 date night. I do the grocery shopping and if I go over I take it out of my allowance. My husband will usually take extra out of his allowance if our date night exceeds our alottment, but we usually don't have to worry about that. At the end of the week if we have money left over from grocery shopping, date night or our allowances we have what we call the "stash". The "stash" is used for fun extras like the unexpected wedding gift, baby shower, invitations to a show or restaurant with friends...all of the things that make life unexpectedly sweet. All of our bills are automatically set up to be paid by our bank online. We average the amount for utilities and do not touch the checking amounts unless it starts creeping up, then we transfer some money to the savings account. Expenses like car insurance, vacations, annual clothing allowance, car tags, renter's insurance, birthdays, Christmas, and many other once or twice a year expenses plus money for car repairs, medical emergencies, and unexpected times are added together and divided by 12. Each month that amount is taken out of our checking account and transfered into a savings account. When it comes time to pay for these items that amount is transfered back into checking and the money is always there. This amount is no small amount at over $800 a month, but what most people do not understand is that just because it is not a monthly expense does not mean it is not an expense that needs to be budgeted for on a monthly basis. We usually have money left over at the end of the year and we can put an additional amount into a separate savings account for long term savings, treat ourselves to something unexpected like tickets to a theater productions and donate to charities. Usually we are able to do all three and we love that feeling.
We also have separate long term savings (not tax free), retirement and medical savings that are tax free for our healthcare expenses like eyeglasses, Dr co-pays, RX co-pays, dental bills, etc. All of this comes out of my husbands paycheck before he even gets his check and we never miss the money. This year we knew we both needed new eyeglasses and increased the medical deductions to cover that. It is a huge savings for our taxes.
It may sound as if we are doing really well by some people's standards, but I have huge medical issues, we recently had to relocate because we lost our jobs and luckily DH got a job, but I did not. Neither of us were elligible for unemployment because we were self employed. My job now is to take care of all the things we used to pay for. Great dinners are now at home instead of at restaurants, I do laundry instead of dry cleaning services, we rent and do not own a home, our cars are used and older, but paid in full, we use the library and red box for most of our entertainment, shopping is at thrift stores and consignment shops instead of the mall and department stores.
We lost everything a short while ago and now we have to re-group to be abe to retire with more than just social security. It is not easy, but it is necessary and we are happier than we have been in a long time.
It doesn't stop it, but it helps a LOT! I use it in the summer all the time because I'm really sensitive to the heat, and it's especially great for when I'm going out and want to wear a little makeup without it melting off my face after a few hours!
Okay, I'm gonna be a complete girl with this one, but I am not doing the whole bug thing. I happily pay someone to do the whole pest control thing and I don't regret it. Everything else is game though.
I have used Groupon a few times and Livingsocial for the Amazon discount they recently had. My husband purchased a coupon for eye glasses and the store highly discouraged him from using the groupon and they had nothing he liked. I purchased one for a spa treatment and could never get anyone to answer the phone, the voicemail was always full and e-mails via their personal website were not answered. The other 3 groupons I did use were great. Groupon was very helpful in giving me and my husband credit for future purchases with them and I will use them and Livingsocial again. I will also be careful in the future about which company I choose to purchase from. Smaller companies do not fully realize the flood of business that can come their way and are not able to handle all the appointments and I wonder if some of the newer businesses can financially withstand the demand of service and goods at such a reduced price. The Groupon representative I spoke with about getting a refund because I could not get an appointment at the spa advised that I should use the groupon as soon as possible because in cases where the company was small you usually had a better chance of getting an appointment earlier rather than later.
Thanks for the heads up on other sites.
OK. As a retail manager, there are two things about this article that really grind my gears.
First- we're not greeting you at the door to "up" our sales. We're greeting you so you know that we know you're there. In interviews done with professional shoplifters by my company's loss prevention team, the thieves admitted that they didn't like being acknowledged. Once the clerk was alerted to their presence, they would be less likely to steal.
Second- we've been trained by customers to ask if you would like the receipt in the bag or with you. If it was up to me, I would put the receipt in the bag every time. 6 out of every 10 customers would prefer to keep the receipt in their wallet/pocket/purse, and if you put it in the bag they then spend time at the counter digging it out and filing it away. It just saves both of us time to ask at the point of sale.
All the other stuff you're whining about (shoddy merchandise, donation requests, surveys, i.e. "bounce-back coupons") are increasingly becoming more common because more people are choosing to shop online. Get used to it.
I love Groupon because I like to give experiences, instead of physical gifts that eventually get thrown away or go out of style. Groupon has allowed me to do that for my family at half price!
This also applies to those loud, crowded chain restaurants where the waitstaff practically attack you before you sit down and crack open a menu and everyone is addressed as "you guys" and they are forced to grin and no one can hear. then the waitress or waiter bends down sometimes and writes his or her name on the paper tablecloth. All to give impression you are having "fun" while overeating and overspending. Remember "guys" TGIF's went out of business in this area, they suffered from over- Hyped up terrible food no doubt
Instead of buying an expensive "autograph book" we bought $1 journals at the Dollar Tree with Winnie the Pooh on them. My two daughters used them to get autographs from tons of characters and when we got home used the rest of the pages to paste photos into. Great scrapbooks of a great vacation! It was three years ago and we still look at them.
I've been on both sides also. First time, I was one of the laid-off group. I did feel happy, but that company offered outstanding severance, benefits, etc., so there was a feeling of security while I searched for another position. I liked the job very much, but I was also ready to look for something different, so the timing was good for me.
Second time, I'm one of the surviving employees. I do miss my co-workers, but the company I'm with now is great and morale does not seem to have taken a terrible turn. This company also gave very good benefits to those who had to leave.
I think it must be much worse when laid-off people are treated badly, with little notice or severance or benefits. Although it can be exciting to look for something new, it's scary when it's a sudden kick out the door with little support.