Be careful if you choose to go the Direct Loan route. We got a USDA mortgage 36 years ago, and we still live in the same house today. People DO need a helping hand sometimes, and don't reneg on their obligations. BUT in those days (and I suspect, still today), if USDA determines later that your income and/or credit rating improves, they will call the entire balance and give you 30 days to secure other financing. In our case, it happened 10 years after we bought the house, which also coincided with double-digit interest rates in the 80s. Our house payments tripled. There was a class action suit against USDA and we did finally get our original interest rate back, but with a NEW 30 year mortgage. This, 20 years after we bought the house. Don't get me wrong, there was no way we could have qualified for a mortgage without USDA's help, we just didn't realize they could take it away as easy as they gave it. Read the fine print!
It's easy to deride telemarketers when they are faceless voices - but when you step back a little it is easy to see these are real people with a job which they probably don't like too much. Next time one calls I am not going to let myself down and be more respectful.
My husband was part of a mass lay-off. He has been down this road more than once. The good news is that you are in the same boat as many others and are not alone. The bad news is that you are in this boat and have to figure out how to stay afloat. For us, unemployment does not cover much of anything as far as bills. He did not receive any severance package. I am working full-time for the benefits for the family at a retail store and he found a fork-lift job at a warehouse. We are barely making our bills. We hope this situation is temporary but are unsure with this job market. I had suggested a career change but he is unwilling to do that. This time around though, he said he decided to think "out of the box" when it comes to looking for a job. He said that maybe working for a large company isn't the right path for him. He said that if he's interested in a position, maybe he will negotiate for things other than pay that could seal the deal. Company car? Severance pkg? So, at least he is thinking for when he gets an interview. I hope this new way of thinking works out for him!
Love the ideas. Thank you. I fix instant potatoes all the time for my diabetic husband. He can eat those and it doesn't run up his blood sugar. Adding some heavy cream or evaporated milk with real butter, salt and pepper and its really good.
I've even taken the cold left over instant potatoes and made potato cakes. Just add flour, salt, pepper and an egg, form into patties and fry in hot canola oil. Serve with milk/flour gravy. My family loves them.
I can appreciate this article. I almost break out in hives when it comes to buying clothes and dealing with 'fake' greetings at the store, etc. Why is purchasing exactly what I need with no muss or fuss becoming more difficult in the retail world?
good article. consumerism is putting undue pressure on everyone. here in Oz the housing estates are promoting bigger homes than ever yet our families are smaller. plus people collect stuff to fill these mega caverns. my wife and three adult children are happy in our modest home. we enjoy walking our dog along the beach rather thatn admiring overpriced junk from a store perched next to a tv. keep it simple is a great philosophy.
I love to make a pot of chili or black bean soup! (If I am really being frugal, I can use dried beans, soak and cook them, and make a batch of soup for under $3!) You can make a pan of "Jiffy" corn bread and be a hero for $4!
I hope you can help me I have a Sony NS710H player could you please help me to unlock it the instructions vir the NS710H/B does not work to unlock this player thank you
Cecilia
Like 'pornography', 'socialism' is hard to define but I know it when I see it. And the Story of Stuff (funded largely by the far-left Tides Foundation) definitely qualifies. Perhaps a more certain way of putting it would be to call it "anti-capitalist." I do concede that some of the points it makes are good but the problem is that the good points are overshadowed by an obvious political agenda.
I do! I just got a couple great offers - Amazon, a local restaurant I have been wanting to try, and a local wine bar that my husband and I really enjoy.
On vehicle mechanical, plumbing, and pest control: Do them right and you'll save a few pennies. Do them wrong, and you can be in a heap of trouble many times worse than if you didn't use a pro in the beginning.
I read with amusement your saga of shopping until I got to the last part -- I always prefer to have the receipt on me, my person that is. I keep track of every cent I spend, cash, check, credit card or "other" (rewards cards etc) so it's important that I have the receipt on my person rather than floating in a bag somewhere. It irritates me when the clerk just throws the receipt in the bag without asking. JMHP.
Sharon Warden
Hollister, FL
I'd be interested in seeing how people would respond in a similar study, but using something like a hamburger - since M&Ms and cheese cubes are distinct little entities that you can stop eating without feeling like you are wasting food, I wonder if the same concept is possible if you, say, cut up your sandwich into long slices or something?
My guess is, no. It's really hard to stop eating a hamburger. But I'd still be curious to know if the same concept, carried out with a more meal-like food sample, could be used to curb appetite. It's true that if you smell food all the time, that can curb your hunger (I recall this from working food service, where spending all day in a kitchen made me not want to eat at night).
I ALWAYS donate my books, and I have to be honest, it's because I am too lazy to sell them (or occasionally way to offended by the low prices offered by used book buyers, although I certainly understand why they can't offer me what I want).
Also, I sort of love the idea of making sure that some of my favorite reads make it into the library system. I don't donate them to the Seattle libraries, but rather the Sno-Isle county libraries, which don't have as much funding or prestige.
I run an ag processing plant during harvest season, and I'm reasonably sure that the decibel levels in many stores are higher than I'm allowed to subject myself and my employees to without ear protection. I always wonder how they get away with that, especially since I'm sure the allowable noise threshold is lower when one employs teens.
When you consider how much time and skill goes into making that $59 shirt and how far it was transported, it's hard to believe it costs that little, really.
Great article! One thing that I've learned is that before organizing, it's so very important to pare down to the minimum and most valued of anything. Anyone can organize loads of stuff by buying organizing (aka more) stuff, but I've been most successful in smaller living by critically examining each item I own (keep/purge). Then I've thought about whether I needed anything that I didn't already have or could borrow to organize. (Borrowing is also a great way to check out any purchases before actually buying.) Keep up the great work!
Forgot to add that I worked at Linens N Things (out of business).Our shoplifting policy was simple; we let people steal what they wanted.The store's position was that it cost more in legal fees from lawsuits than the cost of the stolen merchandise was worth.It used to drive me NUTS to see people walking out with stuff I knew they had stolen.Probably one of the reasons Linens in out of business.
I think the really tough part is actually going through it, the mental part of it, stress, etc. I personally haven't been there but I've had friends that have.
It's easy to sit here and write about how great it can be, but when it actually happens it can't be easy or "exciting."
Great tips -- I always find record-keeping is easier if I'm consistently purging old records when they are no longer relevant. This helps me not get overwhelmed by physical records and keep everything fairly up-to-date.
I use Groupon and other social deals sites. I frequently pick up coupons for restaurants that we want to try or eat at anyway. The only problem that I have is I receive so many emails each day from the various sites!
Thanks! I took your advice and called Dish Network. They are running a promo for Encore - FREE for 12 months as part of their anniversary special. Plus, they gave me STARZ for 12 months as well. Best I've received yet! Thanks for reminding me to make this call. :)
Be careful if you choose to go the Direct Loan route. We got a USDA mortgage 36 years ago, and we still live in the same house today. People DO need a helping hand sometimes, and don't reneg on their obligations. BUT in those days (and I suspect, still today), if USDA determines later that your income and/or credit rating improves, they will call the entire balance and give you 30 days to secure other financing. In our case, it happened 10 years after we bought the house, which also coincided with double-digit interest rates in the 80s. Our house payments tripled. There was a class action suit against USDA and we did finally get our original interest rate back, but with a NEW 30 year mortgage. This, 20 years after we bought the house. Don't get me wrong, there was no way we could have qualified for a mortgage without USDA's help, we just didn't realize they could take it away as easy as they gave it. Read the fine print!
It's easy to deride telemarketers when they are faceless voices - but when you step back a little it is easy to see these are real people with a job which they probably don't like too much. Next time one calls I am not going to let myself down and be more respectful.
My husband was part of a mass lay-off. He has been down this road more than once. The good news is that you are in the same boat as many others and are not alone. The bad news is that you are in this boat and have to figure out how to stay afloat. For us, unemployment does not cover much of anything as far as bills. He did not receive any severance package. I am working full-time for the benefits for the family at a retail store and he found a fork-lift job at a warehouse. We are barely making our bills. We hope this situation is temporary but are unsure with this job market. I had suggested a career change but he is unwilling to do that. This time around though, he said he decided to think "out of the box" when it comes to looking for a job. He said that maybe working for a large company isn't the right path for him. He said that if he's interested in a position, maybe he will negotiate for things other than pay that could seal the deal. Company car? Severance pkg? So, at least he is thinking for when he gets an interview. I hope this new way of thinking works out for him!
Wow, crazy to think we spend that much on cell phones in the first place. Thanks for mentioning my post on choosing the right credit card!
I can tell u that papa Murphy's shreds there own cheese, and that the only sauce that comes premade is the sauce for the cheesy bread.
Love the ideas. Thank you. I fix instant potatoes all the time for my diabetic husband. He can eat those and it doesn't run up his blood sugar. Adding some heavy cream or evaporated milk with real butter, salt and pepper and its really good.
I've even taken the cold left over instant potatoes and made potato cakes. Just add flour, salt, pepper and an egg, form into patties and fry in hot canola oil. Serve with milk/flour gravy. My family loves them.
I can appreciate this article. I almost break out in hives when it comes to buying clothes and dealing with 'fake' greetings at the store, etc. Why is purchasing exactly what I need with no muss or fuss becoming more difficult in the retail world?
good article. consumerism is putting undue pressure on everyone. here in Oz the housing estates are promoting bigger homes than ever yet our families are smaller. plus people collect stuff to fill these mega caverns. my wife and three adult children are happy in our modest home. we enjoy walking our dog along the beach rather thatn admiring overpriced junk from a store perched next to a tv. keep it simple is a great philosophy.
I love to make a pot of chili or black bean soup! (If I am really being frugal, I can use dried beans, soak and cook them, and make a batch of soup for under $3!) You can make a pan of "Jiffy" corn bread and be a hero for $4!
Hi Paul
I hope you can help me I have a Sony NS710H player could you please help me to unlock it the instructions vir the NS710H/B does not work to unlock this player thank you
Cecilia
Like 'pornography', 'socialism' is hard to define but I know it when I see it. And the Story of Stuff (funded largely by the far-left Tides Foundation) definitely qualifies. Perhaps a more certain way of putting it would be to call it "anti-capitalist." I do concede that some of the points it makes are good but the problem is that the good points are overshadowed by an obvious political agenda.
I do! I just got a couple great offers - Amazon, a local restaurant I have been wanting to try, and a local wine bar that my husband and I really enjoy.
On vehicle mechanical, plumbing, and pest control: Do them right and you'll save a few pennies. Do them wrong, and you can be in a heap of trouble many times worse than if you didn't use a pro in the beginning.
I read with amusement your saga of shopping until I got to the last part -- I always prefer to have the receipt on me, my person that is. I keep track of every cent I spend, cash, check, credit card or "other" (rewards cards etc) so it's important that I have the receipt on my person rather than floating in a bag somewhere. It irritates me when the clerk just throws the receipt in the bag without asking. JMHP.
Sharon Warden
Hollister, FL
I'd be interested in seeing how people would respond in a similar study, but using something like a hamburger - since M&Ms and cheese cubes are distinct little entities that you can stop eating without feeling like you are wasting food, I wonder if the same concept is possible if you, say, cut up your sandwich into long slices or something?
My guess is, no. It's really hard to stop eating a hamburger. But I'd still be curious to know if the same concept, carried out with a more meal-like food sample, could be used to curb appetite. It's true that if you smell food all the time, that can curb your hunger (I recall this from working food service, where spending all day in a kitchen made me not want to eat at night).
I ALWAYS donate my books, and I have to be honest, it's because I am too lazy to sell them (or occasionally way to offended by the low prices offered by used book buyers, although I certainly understand why they can't offer me what I want).
Also, I sort of love the idea of making sure that some of my favorite reads make it into the library system. I don't donate them to the Seattle libraries, but rather the Sno-Isle county libraries, which don't have as much funding or prestige.
"[I]s this heaven, or is this an inescapable retail play loop that makes the nearest exit vanish down a long film-noir tunnel of doom?"
OK, so THAT'S my new favorite sentence ever written on Wise Bread.
I run an ag processing plant during harvest season, and I'm reasonably sure that the decibel levels in many stores are higher than I'm allowed to subject myself and my employees to without ear protection. I always wonder how they get away with that, especially since I'm sure the allowable noise threshold is lower when one employs teens.
When you consider how much time and skill goes into making that $59 shirt and how far it was transported, it's hard to believe it costs that little, really.
Great article! One thing that I've learned is that before organizing, it's so very important to pare down to the minimum and most valued of anything. Anyone can organize loads of stuff by buying organizing (aka more) stuff, but I've been most successful in smaller living by critically examining each item I own (keep/purge). Then I've thought about whether I needed anything that I didn't already have or could borrow to organize. (Borrowing is also a great way to check out any purchases before actually buying.) Keep up the great work!
Forgot to add that I worked at Linens N Things (out of business).Our shoplifting policy was simple; we let people steal what they wanted.The store's position was that it cost more in legal fees from lawsuits than the cost of the stolen merchandise was worth.It used to drive me NUTS to see people walking out with stuff I knew they had stolen.Probably one of the reasons Linens in out of business.
I think the really tough part is actually going through it, the mental part of it, stress, etc. I personally haven't been there but I've had friends that have.
It's easy to sit here and write about how great it can be, but when it actually happens it can't be easy or "exciting."
Great tips -- I always find record-keeping is easier if I'm consistently purging old records when they are no longer relevant. This helps me not get overwhelmed by physical records and keep everything fairly up-to-date.
I use Groupon and other social deals sites. I frequently pick up coupons for restaurants that we want to try or eat at anyway. The only problem that I have is I receive so many emails each day from the various sites!
Life is short and you need to improve it asap :)
Thanks! I took your advice and called Dish Network. They are running a promo for Encore - FREE for 12 months as part of their anniversary special. Plus, they gave me STARZ for 12 months as well. Best I've received yet! Thanks for reminding me to make this call. :)