The largest item in my family's budget is expenses related to housing. We refinanced from a thirty year to a fifteen year fixed rate mortgage about six years ago; we're finally seeing the payment to principal outstrip the amount to interest. I recommend this move for those who are staying in their houses for awhile.
Property tax increases are the area of the largest growth in our overall housing expense. Although I worry about the increase, we also live in an area of upstate New York with good schools, excellent public services, abundant parks and recreation. While proposals to trim excess in government & consolidate local government services is welcome; I hate to see our Governor & legislature impose tax caps that limit local control and our ability as a community to fund our priorities.
I have won some pretty cool things from blogs. Some of the things that I have won: wii games, iPod, Northface jacket, Coach purse, tons of jewelry and books, not to mention the toys! I have a storage container always full of random toys to give for birthdays and holidays!
No physical changes will happen even with intense working out -unless the diet is revolutionized. This means - no fatty foods- no cooking with oil- no fried stuff. It also means turning to powerful classic foods like rice, oatmeal, tofu, egg whites, wheat bread. Staying away from chips. Knowing the basics of counting your daily calories in terms of Proteins, fats, carbs. Not eating much salt.
Well, the iphone is finally on verizon but I can't really say more than that since I don't know much about it besides seeing the commercials. The way I got my phone was through Straight Talk. There are a few smart phone-like options and I got the LG 900G which is pretty new I think. Straight Talk uses the verizon network though I think and the service is really good. So the LG900G was 69.99 and I pay $50 a month for unlimited service. There were other inexpensive options for phones and for plans and you can mix and match what you like. I thought it was a great alternative to what I was paying before my contract ran out. Ouch. So I would definitely recommend Straight Talk for a smart phone. I hear they are coming out with some more new ones too but I like my LG it does everything I need. Quite less complicated than the process you are proposing but to each his own right? Thought I would share my two cents.
There are many areas where the cost differential between good quality and crap is huge. One humble example is the dresser. A good-quality, functional dresser is a very expensive ($1K+) piece of furniture. The vast majority of moderately-priced dressers (from Ikea, etc.) are non-functional. The drawers are too shallow, they jam, the bottoms fall out. After suffering through the frustrations of using junky dressers for too long, I finally decided I was better off without them. I got rid of my dressers and replaced them with sturdy shop shelves and deep plastic storage bins.
I will never again buy a crappy dresser just to fill the niche of "dresser". I will use my shop shelves until I acquire a high-quality dresser through alternate means (inherit, estate sale, etc.), or until I have enough disposable income to buy a really high-quality one. It's not a priority for me right now, though.
This seems to be a special case of setting priorities and being clear about what you value. That's a cornerstone of the thrifty lifestyle.
Right now, we are sinking a rather ridiculous percentage of our budget into education, and we expect to do so for years to come, as my boys grow up and go to college. That doesn't mean we spend indiscriminately; we do seek value for cost. But having decided that an expense is consistent with our values, we find a way to meet it, even if that means scrimping in other areas. We don't currently have a hobby or material pleasure that comes close, although I do value good coffee :-).
When the boys are done with college, I could see funding activities such as travel, or hobbies such as renovating an Airstream trailer. But not now. I'm OK with that, though, because I'm clear about my priorities, and seeing the kids being educated in a way I'm happy about gives a lot of pleasure.
Microwave the milk till it's around 190-200 deg F, then let it cool till like 130 or 125 F. Add the culture, then put in the container in a hotbox and leave for like 8 hours. Perfect yogurt!
You can also put the container in a big plastic bag, then put the bag in your sleeping bag, wrap the sleeping bag all around it and hold it together with twine.
I like the idea of these challenges, but can't help feeling, particularly where food is concerned, that the long term challenge is really about getting as close to zero waste as you can. Certainly in our house over the last year, we've started making meals now once or twice a week from whatever is left in the cupboards or fridge. In the past we would have nipped out to Tesco for a few things to get dinner sorted - but not now. It's not a conscious challenge to spend less we've embarked upon as opposed to a conscious effort to make the most of what's already here.
The reference to free Costco samples made me smile - my kids love Costco, mainly because of the free samples. The upside is that they're willing to try lost of different things. Last week my ten year old made us buy a pack of fresh anchovies as a result of the samples! ...Yeeuucch!
A lot of good comments. What is surprising is that no one has mentioned Fair Trade. Beyond buying local, one buy products from Africa, Asia, and other countries without putting people out of jobs. Buying Fair Trade is supporting a fair wage for people who would be paid sweatshop wages. Also, bringing up their standard of living brings up the value of their competition and if there was enough support for Fair Trade it would make it more difficult for companies to outsource their labor. Rather than paying pennies on the dollar, they would be forced to pay an ethical amount. Also, if people are paid more, they can afford more.
If you can't afford something-don't buy it. If you can, consider that maybe you should. You're purchases of coffee, chocolate, and sugar are supporting companies that employ children, sometimes enslave workers, and make people work long hours in horrible conditions. If you can't afford to do otherwise-no shame right? If you can, don't deny what you're doing because it cost a few more bucks to support people being treated fairly.
Your purchase, your influence.
I have a memorex2016blk 'a' that I want to make region free. does anyone have detailed instructions please? everything online talks about a 'clear' button on the remote which isn't there. I'd really appreciate some help!
"Also, statistics show that second marriages are more likely to end in divorce than first ones, so there may be some logic in investing less in the marriage (in every sense of the term)."
No, it's an argument for investing *more* in the marriage (and perhaps investing less in the wedding, not to save money or because it it's worth it, but because you know where to focus your priorities).
Couples who learned something the first time around, and have their priorities in place, have every reasonable expectation of having their marriage be a success.
I am employed as a cashier at some supermarket for rich people. |:
It's horrible. I feel like I work ten hour days when I have to go to work right after finishing school and I have to stand in that one place hours on end, and usually only get one 15 minutes break ever few hours.
I NEED this job, because I'm trying to save up for an apartment so I can move out this summer. I get paid a little over minimum wage which is nice, I guess.
Anyways, reading this gave me two feelings:
One: Frustrated.
It makes me pissed off because stuff like this can't really help. "Take a walk when you need one". I'm not allowed to unless I'm on a break. "Feel your feelings". I'm not allowed to because if I'm getting yelled at by a customer for making a mistake if I yell back there is a 86.2% chance I'll get fired.
Two: A bit settled.
This sort of did hit me with reality, and make me feel a bit better knowing that people do have jobs they hate like me. So, I guess it's kind of nice to know other people deal with this. The first half of this was really talking about "Why you're there" and all. As long as I keep reminding myself it's okay, and that I'll only be there another half a year I guess it doesn't seem as bad.
Any high-school dropout could differentiate between good foods and bad foods. Pretty sure children and those without education know that a cupcake isn't as healthy as an apple.
Rent. 54% of our take home. Why? A huge gamble- bright kids, and we wanted a first class school district. It has paid off- my daughter was just offered full tuition, room and board, and automatic grad school acceptance at one of the top 30 universities. Several ivy interviews next week. The opportunities and competitiveness that my kids absolutely thrive on were not available where we lived. So we have lived at our means for 4 years and will for 2 more years, to get our son through high school. Our gamble was that our college contribution was the high school, and just a little money. Paid off big time! The month after my son graduates, we will buy a teeny-tiny house in the woods of western MA, and work and live comfortably on very little!
We have taken some summer trips of considerable mileage and chosen to drive. A consideration is a multiple destination vacation. Also the fact that you can load up the car with a lot of belongings for those multiple destinations.
The one point that we didn't realize at the time was the wear and tear in the long run resulting in quite a few maintenance costs such as oil changes, struts, a rear wheel bearing and brakes. Long and consistent road trips age a car more quickly.
You'll have to stay with me on this one, but.... I just sat through a local television interview on a special event going on today. The reporter came in during the break, interviewed a few people, said a few words himself behind the camera, then left. He really has no idea what happened here today, except for what he was told, yet he reported or reviewed it. That might be classified as a fake review (of events) to me because he reviewed a few people involved, then wrapped a story around it using his own words. Does it hurt anyone that he did it that way? Probably not, but what if he really promotes the heck out of the story, and causes someone to join in next year, investing time and money, only to find out it wasn't as good as he said? Would that make it harmful?
Now I don't see anything wrong with what he just did, and certainly didn't expect him to sit through the entire day. But my thought was that fake reviews online might just be a subset of what's been going on in the offline world for many years. I highly doubt that the reviews you see in magazines were actually intensively reviewed by the authors (outside of Consumer Reports). They are probably, for the most part rewriting copy given to them from product developers.
In the online world, you don't even have to go to Google to find potentially fake reviews. Do we really know that all of the reviews written on Amazon product pages were written by owners of the products, or could the product manufacturer have hired people to write glowing reviews? You just don't know.
Didn't mean to write this much, but this article just made me think a lot about reviews in general, and how you can see a review in everything, and not just online. The old saying, "buyer beware" should probably come into play, no matter what it is you are reading, watching, or hearing. Do your own research, from several sources, to find out the real truth.
The largest item in my family's budget is expenses related to housing. We refinanced from a thirty year to a fifteen year fixed rate mortgage about six years ago; we're finally seeing the payment to principal outstrip the amount to interest. I recommend this move for those who are staying in their houses for awhile.
Property tax increases are the area of the largest growth in our overall housing expense. Although I worry about the increase, we also live in an area of upstate New York with good schools, excellent public services, abundant parks and recreation. While proposals to trim excess in government & consolidate local government services is welcome; I hate to see our Governor & legislature impose tax caps that limit local control and our ability as a community to fund our priorities.
I have won some pretty cool things from blogs. Some of the things that I have won: wii games, iPod, Northface jacket, Coach purse, tons of jewelry and books, not to mention the toys! I have a storage container always full of random toys to give for birthdays and holidays!
Unfortunately, it's the mortgage.
No physical changes will happen even with intense working out -unless the diet is revolutionized. This means - no fatty foods- no cooking with oil- no fried stuff. It also means turning to powerful classic foods like rice, oatmeal, tofu, egg whites, wheat bread. Staying away from chips. Knowing the basics of counting your daily calories in terms of Proteins, fats, carbs. Not eating much salt.
Apartment rent, 37% of my budget. That's probably too much, but I got tired of roommates after 5 years...
Well, the iphone is finally on verizon but I can't really say more than that since I don't know much about it besides seeing the commercials. The way I got my phone was through Straight Talk. There are a few smart phone-like options and I got the LG 900G which is pretty new I think. Straight Talk uses the verizon network though I think and the service is really good. So the LG900G was 69.99 and I pay $50 a month for unlimited service. There were other inexpensive options for phones and for plans and you can mix and match what you like. I thought it was a great alternative to what I was paying before my contract ran out. Ouch. So I would definitely recommend Straight Talk for a smart phone. I hear they are coming out with some more new ones too but I like my LG it does everything I need. Quite less complicated than the process you are proposing but to each his own right? Thought I would share my two cents.
There are many areas where the cost differential between good quality and crap is huge. One humble example is the dresser. A good-quality, functional dresser is a very expensive ($1K+) piece of furniture. The vast majority of moderately-priced dressers (from Ikea, etc.) are non-functional. The drawers are too shallow, they jam, the bottoms fall out. After suffering through the frustrations of using junky dressers for too long, I finally decided I was better off without them. I got rid of my dressers and replaced them with sturdy shop shelves and deep plastic storage bins.
I will never again buy a crappy dresser just to fill the niche of "dresser". I will use my shop shelves until I acquire a high-quality dresser through alternate means (inherit, estate sale, etc.), or until I have enough disposable income to buy a really high-quality one. It's not a priority for me right now, though.
This seems to be a special case of setting priorities and being clear about what you value. That's a cornerstone of the thrifty lifestyle.
Right now, we are sinking a rather ridiculous percentage of our budget into education, and we expect to do so for years to come, as my boys grow up and go to college. That doesn't mean we spend indiscriminately; we do seek value for cost. But having decided that an expense is consistent with our values, we find a way to meet it, even if that means scrimping in other areas. We don't currently have a hobby or material pleasure that comes close, although I do value good coffee :-).
When the boys are done with college, I could see funding activities such as travel, or hobbies such as renovating an Airstream trailer. But not now. I'm OK with that, though, because I'm clear about my priorities, and seeing the kids being educated in a way I'm happy about gives a lot of pleasure.
This is great for making yogurt with.
Microwave the milk till it's around 190-200 deg F, then let it cool till like 130 or 125 F. Add the culture, then put in the container in a hotbox and leave for like 8 hours. Perfect yogurt!
You can also put the container in a big plastic bag, then put the bag in your sleeping bag, wrap the sleeping bag all around it and hold it together with twine.
Put in the corner for 8 hours.
You are done!
I like the idea of these challenges, but can't help feeling, particularly where food is concerned, that the long term challenge is really about getting as close to zero waste as you can. Certainly in our house over the last year, we've started making meals now once or twice a week from whatever is left in the cupboards or fridge. In the past we would have nipped out to Tesco for a few things to get dinner sorted - but not now. It's not a conscious challenge to spend less we've embarked upon as opposed to a conscious effort to make the most of what's already here.
The reference to free Costco samples made me smile - my kids love Costco, mainly because of the free samples. The upside is that they're willing to try lost of different things. Last week my ten year old made us buy a pack of fresh anchovies as a result of the samples! ...Yeeuucch!
We currently rent a house. Our rent is our largest expense and saving towards a down payment to hopefully buy in 2011 is our second largest.
A lot of good comments. What is surprising is that no one has mentioned Fair Trade. Beyond buying local, one buy products from Africa, Asia, and other countries without putting people out of jobs. Buying Fair Trade is supporting a fair wage for people who would be paid sweatshop wages. Also, bringing up their standard of living brings up the value of their competition and if there was enough support for Fair Trade it would make it more difficult for companies to outsource their labor. Rather than paying pennies on the dollar, they would be forced to pay an ethical amount. Also, if people are paid more, they can afford more.
If you can't afford something-don't buy it. If you can, consider that maybe you should. You're purchases of coffee, chocolate, and sugar are supporting companies that employ children, sometimes enslave workers, and make people work long hours in horrible conditions. If you can't afford to do otherwise-no shame right? If you can, don't deny what you're doing because it cost a few more bucks to support people being treated fairly.
Your purchase, your influence.
I have a memorex2016blk 'a' that I want to make region free. does anyone have detailed instructions please? everything online talks about a 'clear' button on the remote which isn't there. I'd really appreciate some help!
"Also, statistics show that second marriages are more likely to end in divorce than first ones, so there may be some logic in investing less in the marriage (in every sense of the term)."
No, it's an argument for investing *more* in the marriage (and perhaps investing less in the wedding, not to save money or because it it's worth it, but because you know where to focus your priorities).
Couples who learned something the first time around, and have their priorities in place, have every reasonable expectation of having their marriage be a success.
I am employed as a cashier at some supermarket for rich people. |:
It's horrible. I feel like I work ten hour days when I have to go to work right after finishing school and I have to stand in that one place hours on end, and usually only get one 15 minutes break ever few hours.
I NEED this job, because I'm trying to save up for an apartment so I can move out this summer. I get paid a little over minimum wage which is nice, I guess.
Anyways, reading this gave me two feelings:
One: Frustrated.
It makes me pissed off because stuff like this can't really help. "Take a walk when you need one". I'm not allowed to unless I'm on a break. "Feel your feelings". I'm not allowed to because if I'm getting yelled at by a customer for making a mistake if I yell back there is a 86.2% chance I'll get fired.
Two: A bit settled.
This sort of did hit me with reality, and make me feel a bit better knowing that people do have jobs they hate like me. So, I guess it's kind of nice to know other people deal with this. The first half of this was really talking about "Why you're there" and all. As long as I keep reminding myself it's okay, and that I'll only be there another half a year I guess it doesn't seem as bad.
Lack of education is not the cause.
Any high-school dropout could differentiate between good foods and bad foods. Pretty sure children and those without education know that a cupcake isn't as healthy as an apple.
I'll say our top 3 are: 1) Mortgage (25%)
2) Food (20%)
3) Tuition (20%)
Since our bread winner lost his job and my retail job pays $560/mth after taxes/ins, I'm not sure how the percentages above will be affected.
Rent. 54% of our take home. Why? A huge gamble- bright kids, and we wanted a first class school district. It has paid off- my daughter was just offered full tuition, room and board, and automatic grad school acceptance at one of the top 30 universities. Several ivy interviews next week. The opportunities and competitiveness that my kids absolutely thrive on were not available where we lived. So we have lived at our means for 4 years and will for 2 more years, to get our son through high school. Our gamble was that our college contribution was the high school, and just a little money. Paid off big time! The month after my son graduates, we will buy a teeny-tiny house in the woods of western MA, and work and live comfortably on very little!
These are GREAT!!! I love them! They are easy to make one or two!
1. Learn to fly a plane and use that skill often
2. Net worth of $2.5 million+
3. Travel frequently
4. Raise at least two children
5. Own land
The single largest line item in my budget is housing.
We have taken some summer trips of considerable mileage and chosen to drive. A consideration is a multiple destination vacation. Also the fact that you can load up the car with a lot of belongings for those multiple destinations.
The one point that we didn't realize at the time was the wear and tear in the long run resulting in quite a few maintenance costs such as oil changes, struts, a rear wheel bearing and brakes. Long and consistent road trips age a car more quickly.
You'll have to stay with me on this one, but.... I just sat through a local television interview on a special event going on today. The reporter came in during the break, interviewed a few people, said a few words himself behind the camera, then left. He really has no idea what happened here today, except for what he was told, yet he reported or reviewed it. That might be classified as a fake review (of events) to me because he reviewed a few people involved, then wrapped a story around it using his own words. Does it hurt anyone that he did it that way? Probably not, but what if he really promotes the heck out of the story, and causes someone to join in next year, investing time and money, only to find out it wasn't as good as he said? Would that make it harmful?
Now I don't see anything wrong with what he just did, and certainly didn't expect him to sit through the entire day. But my thought was that fake reviews online might just be a subset of what's been going on in the offline world for many years. I highly doubt that the reviews you see in magazines were actually intensively reviewed by the authors (outside of Consumer Reports). They are probably, for the most part rewriting copy given to them from product developers.
In the online world, you don't even have to go to Google to find potentially fake reviews. Do we really know that all of the reviews written on Amazon product pages were written by owners of the products, or could the product manufacturer have hired people to write glowing reviews? You just don't know.
Didn't mean to write this much, but this article just made me think a lot about reviews in general, and how you can see a review in everything, and not just online. The old saying, "buyer beware" should probably come into play, no matter what it is you are reading, watching, or hearing. Do your own research, from several sources, to find out the real truth.
I also recommend the King Fisher toothpaste
Rent! We have a really good deal, but it's still a big chunk of the budget.