Like Princess Kessie, I don't tip. The minimum wage in Australia is more than ample enough for someone to live on - it's not like in America where servers NEED tips in order to survive, working on four dollars an hour or some ridiculous wage like that.
It really should be the impetus of the government to mandate a minimum wage sufficient to decent living standards - it shouldn't be up to consumers to pay above the listed price on the menu.
Bad service still needs to be tipped? 20% as a default? Ahh, entitlement America.
I'm not sure when it started, but this idea that patrons have an obligation to make up for the poor pay practices of employers or to excuse bad service because "servers have bad days" is ridiculous.
Leave your bad day at the door and do your job. If you don't then don't expect a tip (particularly not one - 20%- that equates to outstanding service).
I'm a patron. Not a capitalist boss. The tips I give are in relation to the service you (as a server) render to ME. They are not about me being obligated to sustain some arcane payout structure your boss created because s/he doesn't want to pay everyone (busboy, hostess, bartender) a decent wage.
If you had to take a takeout order, take that up with the boss. It's beyond silly and wasteful (some of you are going be working many years spending so loosely) to leave 10% of a bill for someone that picked your container of food off of the counter and put it into a bag.
Are you people serious? No wonder Americans are in so much debt!
Zorky
Good tip but what does the beano do to the mix how does it make it work better or over flow??? My BBR is slower than the shine and is to run for 6 - 14 days. The shine says to run for 5 - 10 days. when or should I add beano and how much?? Should I add another package of yeast or part of one to either first.?? BBR has 6lbs. of brown sugar and about 1/2 cup of honey. one package of yeast to make a 3 gal. mix. Got the recipe from free site mentioned way above.
I'm certain that no one can honestly claim that sun screen actually prevents skin cancer. Sun screen and sun glasses inhibit your body's ability to adapt to increased sun exposure. While applying dubious products, people are also weakening their natural defenses. Just let your skin darken gradually, and don't spend too much time in the sun.
My daughter is very, very fair skinned, so instead of standard toddler-style bikini or one-piece, I did purchase a t-shirt and shorts style suit with UV protection. It's cute. It has flowers and she can still move around. Best of all it was inexpensive at Wal-Mart. She doesn't look like a two year old Madonna-wannabe and she is protected from the sun! I'm just saying - there are options without looking like something out of 1896!
Thanks for the piece, though - it was certainly an eye-opener.
My daughter is very, very fair skinned, so instead of standard toddler-style bikini or one-piece, I did purchase a t-shirt and shorts style suit with UV protection. It's cute. It has flowers and she can still move around. Best of all it was inexpensive at Wal-Mart. She doesn't look like a two year old Madonna-wannabe and she is protected from the sun! I'm just saying - there are options without looking like something out of 1896!
Thanks for the piece, though - it was certainly an eye-opener.
My daughter is very, very fair skinned, so instead of standard toddler-style bikini or one-piece, I did purchase a t-shirt and shorts style suit with UV protection. It's cute. It has flowers and she can still move around. Best of all it was inexpensive at Wal-Mart. She doesn't look like a two year old Madonna-wannabe and she is protected from the sun! I'm just saying - there are options without looking like something out of 1896!
Thanks for the piece, though - it was certainly an eye-opener.
I'm a doubler too. I also try to make good use of the oven when it's on. So if I'm making meatballs that I brown in the oven, I'll also make a meatloaf and some chicken breasts. Only turn the oven on once.
I've learned to be careful of how many meat dishes I have frozen though. If (when) the power goes out, you will lose your food in a day. Last summer we had no power for 3 days due to a storm.
So far I'm really enjoying and learning from your website. But I haven't noticed anything about coupons, and I really do seem to save a lot with coupons. I've been known to save anywhere from 55% to 85% on my food bill with coupons. Just thought I'd bring it up.
Long long ago,
For every 10 to 20 houses there was a cattle farmer, a vegetable and fruit farmer. People used to get their food fresh from these local farmers everyday.
Modern age industrilization has changed this to the way they wanted it.
"The one reason I’ve been given is that we need to help these people, or our home values will suffer. But the market has pretty-much bottomed out anyway."
Bottomed out? You think so?
Guess again. Many people who bought in the last few years are going to be DECIMATED in the next leg down.
Anyone care to explain to me how the median home pice in many areas could rise >100% in five years...even though the median family INCOME was basically FLAT?
AND even though median home prices in the U.S. have only averaged about 2-3% annually (at best)?
So, the market has "bottomed out"...with home prices down only about 20% from their bubblicious PEAK? During the nastiest recession (arguably a depression) in modern history? With "official" unemployment still at nearly 10% (and "unofficial" unemployment + UNDERemployment closer to 25%)? Yeah, sure, the RE market has bottomed out. And who exactly will be "paying up" homes in the next three to five years? All those folks who were just laid-off and/or foreclosed on? All those college grads who can't seem to find a job? Who, exactly?
Yes, there are SOME reasonably-priced homes out there, no doubt. But the era of mega-borrowing to buy Mcmansions in the suburbs is OVER. The few who even qualify for a mortgage these days will be the sensible folks...you know, the ones who weren't stupid enough to overpay for a house in the last ten years...and won't be likely to overpay now.
Honestly, it comes down to this: how much is your time worth? Yes, dry cleaning can be expensive, and yes, most cleaning can be done at home.
Hand laundering is very time consuming, however, and let's face it: most cleaners use specialized equipment and pay their employees close to minimum wage.
I work for a cleaner, but even if I didn't, I don't think my time would be well spent trying to duplicate professional results at home.
I've never been in a situation like this, but these seem like really excellent tips. I'm glad that you brought these points up. I think it's really easy for people to just let things deteriorate without taking any action, until they are forced to, or until it is too late to salvage the situation. Encouraging people to be proactive, and prevent the situation from going bad is a great idea!
My local Papa Murphy's seems to be one of the best around, but they do vary quite a bit by location. I prefer going there instead of the large chain places, because I can watch them make my pizza, and don't have to tip or pay some ridiculous delivery fee. I live south of Seattle and have been to several in the South King county area. The Covington store is terrible, while the Auburn North location is great, and the Renton Center Way store is just average. Prices also vary from location to location, but I get a coupon flyer in the mail about once a month and the coupons never expire-I still have some going back to 2004. If the location near you sucks, try a different one, as they're all independently run franchises. My only gripe with their pizza is the excessive sodium content-they really need to lower it. I'll keep going back as long as the quality is maintained the prices are fair.
In the area I live in, the sales tax is about 8% and up. I usually double the sales tax for fair to good service, and then add a few more dollars if it's great service.
Bad service still needs to be tipped (sorry, if it's unpopular) but at about 10%. Remember, the server needs to also tip the busser, bartender, and sometimes even the hostess, out of her tips - usually at a total of 7-10% of the total amount of food they served. If you don't leave a tip, they still have to pay their collegues...so in essence, it cost THEM money to serve you.
I would say if you were truly the chlid of a dedicated saver - you ate everything from scratch (including noodles) ... I didn't know "box dinner" existed until I was babysitting in highschool.
Add to that: You didn't know that there were people who didn't garden; you were told "hot lunch is for the poor/children whose parents don't love them" etc.; the only time we got to eat out was when we did major extra chores ... like holding a successful garage sale; as soon as you were old enough to peer over the counter - the lesson waiting for you to behold was "how to stretch the roast" ...
That all said though - my parents put a 50% deposit on their first house - with 7 in the family and one steady income.
I love Wisebread because it gets you thinking about 21st cent. versions of old ways to save!
A couple useful tools for dumpters - a broom handle with a heavy screw hook in the end. This allows you to pull items to you. Also a grabber (a tool usually used to reach items high on shelves) is useful for grabbing items in a partial full dumpster after using the broom handle.
Like Princess Kessie, I don't tip. The minimum wage in Australia is more than ample enough for someone to live on - it's not like in America where servers NEED tips in order to survive, working on four dollars an hour or some ridiculous wage like that.
It really should be the impetus of the government to mandate a minimum wage sufficient to decent living standards - it shouldn't be up to consumers to pay above the listed price on the menu.
Bad service still needs to be tipped? 20% as a default? Ahh, entitlement America.
I'm not sure when it started, but this idea that patrons have an obligation to make up for the poor pay practices of employers or to excuse bad service because "servers have bad days" is ridiculous.
Leave your bad day at the door and do your job. If you don't then don't expect a tip (particularly not one - 20%- that equates to outstanding service).
I'm a patron. Not a capitalist boss. The tips I give are in relation to the service you (as a server) render to ME. They are not about me being obligated to sustain some arcane payout structure your boss created because s/he doesn't want to pay everyone (busboy, hostess, bartender) a decent wage.
If you had to take a takeout order, take that up with the boss. It's beyond silly and wasteful (some of you are going be working many years spending so loosely) to leave 10% of a bill for someone that picked your container of food off of the counter and put it into a bag.
Are you people serious? No wonder Americans are in so much debt!
Double the tax and round up. Here in CA, that comes to about 20%, but I always make sure only tip on the pre-tax total. You should never tip on tax.
Zorky
Good tip but what does the beano do to the mix how does it make it work better or over flow??? My BBR is slower than the shine and is to run for 6 - 14 days. The shine says to run for 5 - 10 days. when or should I add beano and how much?? Should I add another package of yeast or part of one to either first.?? BBR has 6lbs. of brown sugar and about 1/2 cup of honey. one package of yeast to make a 3 gal. mix. Got the recipe from free site mentioned way above.
Organic Bears, Yeah, Somebody's reading LOL:) Are all bears organic, perhaps not the gummy ones.
I'm certain that no one can honestly claim that sun screen actually prevents skin cancer. Sun screen and sun glasses inhibit your body's ability to adapt to increased sun exposure. While applying dubious products, people are also weakening their natural defenses. Just let your skin darken gradually, and don't spend too much time in the sun.
My daughter is very, very fair skinned, so instead of standard toddler-style bikini or one-piece, I did purchase a t-shirt and shorts style suit with UV protection. It's cute. It has flowers and she can still move around. Best of all it was inexpensive at Wal-Mart. She doesn't look like a two year old Madonna-wannabe and she is protected from the sun! I'm just saying - there are options without looking like something out of 1896!
Thanks for the piece, though - it was certainly an eye-opener.
My daughter is very, very fair skinned, so instead of standard toddler-style bikini or one-piece, I did purchase a t-shirt and shorts style suit with UV protection. It's cute. It has flowers and she can still move around. Best of all it was inexpensive at Wal-Mart. She doesn't look like a two year old Madonna-wannabe and she is protected from the sun! I'm just saying - there are options without looking like something out of 1896!
Thanks for the piece, though - it was certainly an eye-opener.
My daughter is very, very fair skinned, so instead of standard toddler-style bikini or one-piece, I did purchase a t-shirt and shorts style suit with UV protection. It's cute. It has flowers and she can still move around. Best of all it was inexpensive at Wal-Mart. She doesn't look like a two year old Madonna-wannabe and she is protected from the sun! I'm just saying - there are options without looking like something out of 1896!
Thanks for the piece, though - it was certainly an eye-opener.
I'm a doubler too. I also try to make good use of the oven when it's on. So if I'm making meatballs that I brown in the oven, I'll also make a meatloaf and some chicken breasts. Only turn the oven on once.
I've learned to be careful of how many meat dishes I have frozen though. If (when) the power goes out, you will lose your food in a day. Last summer we had no power for 3 days due to a storm.
Great article!
Although trying to find organic "bears" might be very dangerous to your health.
:-)
So far I'm really enjoying and learning from your website. But I haven't noticed anything about coupons, and I really do seem to save a lot with coupons. I've been known to save anywhere from 55% to 85% on my food bill with coupons. Just thought I'd bring it up.
Long long ago,
For every 10 to 20 houses there was a cattle farmer, a vegetable and fruit farmer. People used to get their food fresh from these local farmers everyday.
Modern age industrilization has changed this to the way they wanted it.
"The one reason I’ve been given is that we need to help these people, or our home values will suffer. But the market has pretty-much bottomed out anyway."
Bottomed out? You think so?
Guess again. Many people who bought in the last few years are going to be DECIMATED in the next leg down.
Anyone care to explain to me how the median home pice in many areas could rise >100% in five years...even though the median family INCOME was basically FLAT?
AND even though median home prices in the U.S. have only averaged about 2-3% annually (at best)?
So, the market has "bottomed out"...with home prices down only about 20% from their bubblicious PEAK? During the nastiest recession (arguably a depression) in modern history? With "official" unemployment still at nearly 10% (and "unofficial" unemployment + UNDERemployment closer to 25%)? Yeah, sure, the RE market has bottomed out. And who exactly will be "paying up" homes in the next three to five years? All those folks who were just laid-off and/or foreclosed on? All those college grads who can't seem to find a job? Who, exactly?
Yes, there are SOME reasonably-priced homes out there, no doubt. But the era of mega-borrowing to buy Mcmansions in the suburbs is OVER. The few who even qualify for a mortgage these days will be the sensible folks...you know, the ones who weren't stupid enough to overpay for a house in the last ten years...and won't be likely to overpay now.
Honestly, it comes down to this: how much is your time worth? Yes, dry cleaning can be expensive, and yes, most cleaning can be done at home.
Hand laundering is very time consuming, however, and let's face it: most cleaners use specialized equipment and pay their employees close to minimum wage.
I work for a cleaner, but even if I didn't, I don't think my time would be well spent trying to duplicate professional results at home.
I've never been in a situation like this, but these seem like really excellent tips. I'm glad that you brought these points up. I think it's really easy for people to just let things deteriorate without taking any action, until they are forced to, or until it is too late to salvage the situation. Encouraging people to be proactive, and prevent the situation from going bad is a great idea!
My local Papa Murphy's seems to be one of the best around, but they do vary quite a bit by location. I prefer going there instead of the large chain places, because I can watch them make my pizza, and don't have to tip or pay some ridiculous delivery fee. I live south of Seattle and have been to several in the South King county area. The Covington store is terrible, while the Auburn North location is great, and the Renton Center Way store is just average. Prices also vary from location to location, but I get a coupon flyer in the mail about once a month and the coupons never expire-I still have some going back to 2004. If the location near you sucks, try a different one, as they're all independently run franchises. My only gripe with their pizza is the excessive sodium content-they really need to lower it. I'll keep going back as long as the quality is maintained the prices are fair.
I should to check this stuff out!
In the area I live in, the sales tax is about 8% and up. I usually double the sales tax for fair to good service, and then add a few more dollars if it's great service.
Bad service still needs to be tipped (sorry, if it's unpopular) but at about 10%. Remember, the server needs to also tip the busser, bartender, and sometimes even the hostess, out of her tips - usually at a total of 7-10% of the total amount of food they served. If you don't leave a tip, they still have to pay their collegues...so in essence, it cost THEM money to serve you.
I like it, especially when talks going about the eggs. =))
Nice mathematic. I'll take it into account! =) Thnx!
I would say if you were truly the chlid of a dedicated saver - you ate everything from scratch (including noodles) ... I didn't know "box dinner" existed until I was babysitting in highschool.
Add to that: You didn't know that there were people who didn't garden; you were told "hot lunch is for the poor/children whose parents don't love them" etc.; the only time we got to eat out was when we did major extra chores ... like holding a successful garage sale; as soon as you were old enough to peer over the counter - the lesson waiting for you to behold was "how to stretch the roast" ...
That all said though - my parents put a 50% deposit on their first house - with 7 in the family and one steady income.
I love Wisebread because it gets you thinking about 21st cent. versions of old ways to save!
I love this article. As usual, Marla Walter's articles are very informative and well as entertaining. I may actually try making my own yogurt!
I love this article. As usual, Marla Walter's articles are very informative and well as entertaining. I may actually try making my own yogurt!
A couple useful tools for dumpters - a broom handle with a heavy screw hook in the end. This allows you to pull items to you. Also a grabber (a tool usually used to reach items high on shelves) is useful for grabbing items in a partial full dumpster after using the broom handle.