Mouseprint just ran an article on Plumping. It was a really good one and probably one more thing you might want to look at before you take your next carton of chicken breast from your grocery store refrigerator.
Carrie--It looks as if not only are you providing low- and no-cost activities for the kids but you're also providing a wide variety as well, most of them free form and low key. IMHO, this helps kids develop imagination, independence and a strong sense of self.
The current trend is enrolling kids in one (costly) program activity after another, as though the road to a good college starts before kindergarden. Not only is that expensive, but I feel strongly that it does a disservice to structure a childs life that way. They need lots and lots of free time to grow, develop and to think independently.
Our culture has trended toward conformity within my own lifetime, but is seems what we really need are free thinkers and innovators. That starts in childhood, yes even and especially with recreational activities. At that age, there's enough structure when the attend school.
I bet I'm not the only guy crossing his legs at the thought of the nail clippers! And Google, well, there's not much we can do about those contextual ads!
I don't know - these seem less like DIY anything and more about serious mental illness. It's scary and sad, but certainly not something that you're going to see a rash of anytime soon. The economy is bad, but these people would have likely done this even in a great economy. They probably suffer from some sort of dysmorphic disorder.
The bizarre thing is that the Hang woman found mental illness treatments too expensive, yet spent who-knows-how-much on disfiguring surgeries for almost 20 years.
Paul--Is it just a coincidence that an ad for WIN FREE LASER HAIR REMOVAL appears just below the article, or is it just another one of life's cruel ironies???
(You just have to love Google AdSense, if nothing else we know they do have a sense of humor)
There are many things I do to save a few bucks, and many, many more that I'd like to do or wish that I could, but self-surgery never crossed my mind. Not only that, but I have this thing about... pain.
This looks like the pathetic, contrived stuff you see in the supermarket tabloids, but if it's real, you really have to feel sorry for these people, both for the sad condition they're in now and for the state of mind that drove them to it.
The girl who injected herself with cooking oil was quite pretty in the before photo (hope my wife isn't on this blog) so you have to wonder what it was she was going for.
The Netspend card is a financial tool, like a checking, or savings account. If someone has had financial difficulty in the past, tools like Netspend or any sort of Debit-Transaction Card is a good choice. Many persons coming through bankruptcy are now finding this a significant alternative. My wife and I both have these types of cards that we use as alternatives to writing checks, or putting something on a credit card where the interest will start accumulating quickly. It has helped to discipline the "buy it now pay it later" American brainwashing to a more "is this really necessary or can we save up for it". Besides that, Netspend is the processor for private branded cards from others such as Capital One so.....
I can't imagine anything less than desperation and a severe psychological disorder would possess someone to perform DIY plastic surgery. I'm no expert, but I find that refraining from looking at magazines and watching television shows that promote unrealistic body types and lifestyles help decrease my desire for frivolous purchases and procedures.
I guess since everyone is jumping on the idea of automatically redeeming a satisfaction guarantee rebate as being one of the world's greatest evils, my question would be at what point is it appropriate to request the rebate? Do you send it in only if you are completely dissatisfied, or is it OK to send it if you just think it could be better?
My view on this is that if you are satisfied with the product you shouldn't request the rebate, although it would be appropriate to send an email or call their customer service to tell them you like their product. In many cases they will send you additional coupons for providing the feedback.
I would say the threshold for dissatisfaction should be whether or not it works as well as what you'd normally buy. If it isn't as good as your normal brand, then I say request a rebate. If it is as good or better, I have a hard time justifying that I am "dissatisfied".
I've never redeemed one of these rebates, mainly because if I am dissatisfied with a product I will just return it to the retailer I bought it from. I've never had an instance where the store refused a return for something I wasn't happy with as long as I had my receipt.
I'm glad you mentioned Polyface and farms like it. However, I was surprised to see you mention all the bones, skin and fat you won't be using.
Bones are wonderful to hold onto for making stock (which not only allows you to get some use of the bones, but saves you the $3/box on chicken stock). If you think you won't use it immediately, just toss it in a freezer bag to store until you're ready to make stock (as a time saver, I make the stock in my crock pot while I'm at school or work).
I personally eat the skin, but if you don't, perhaps a dog you know might like it.
As for the fat, I render the fat down and save it for cooking with. Shmaltz adds wonderful flavour to things like the crust for pot pies, frying eggs in or all sorts of other applications. If you're working with chickens that aren't whole, it's even easier to render down the shmaltz. Just skin and de-fat the pieces you're working with and put them in a frying pan on very low heat. Pour off the fat into a container to store it in. From whole chickens, you have to separate the fat from the juices but the extra effort really is worth it. If you store it in the freezer you can get a virtually indefinite life-span from it.
Additionally, when we make stock, I save all the collagen. It's not nutritionally good for much (being a low quality protein), but I've found it works well as a fat substitute when sweating onions and the like. We freeze it in the ice cube tray then transfer it to bags, and my dog enjoys a cube every now and again thawed into his food.
I don't know if that helps justify the higher cost of chickens (to be honest, I'm on a student budget so I only buy chickens when they're on sale, which never includes the special kinds of chickens), but by using all these extra bits that seem superfluous, you not only save on waste but also save the money you'd have spent on the things that're easily made at home using the "waste" portion of the animal.
I keep the 12 guage by my bed, too, ready to use. Something that's wrong with society today is that people don't care about what happens to their neighbors... I live in suburbia. If I hear my neighbor's dog barking or his car alarm going off any time of the day, I grab my gun and see what's going on as if it were my home. Whatever happened to looking after people??? It'll be a sad day when someone breaks into my home and dies, but know this... My neighbors heard the shotgun, and they're on their way over.
I always thought as a freind you always respect a person when they yell you they cant afford something. or that their saving up.I think it would be rude for me or anybody to exspect some one to live beyond their means because im spending money so they should too. If i really want a broke friend and my friends have done the same for me too I'll suck it up and buy lunch. Or even better weve found the lost tradtion of going to anothers house for coffee. I use to try and keep up , now I dont , Im happier that I spend my money on the shings that I really love (eg: snow boarding.) my other broke friends like me better to now. Im finding alot of people are getting tired of wasting money to keep of with only a couple of people who can AFFORD it.
I received a NetSpend credit/debit card in the mail. It has the correct address but the wrong name. since I only have 3 neighbors I knew it was not a card they applied for and had a simple typo on the street number. I called NetSpend and after 2 1/2 hrs and several disconnects got nowhere. I called the FTC to report them, they now have the information. They suggested that I call the credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on my account, which I did. They also suggested that I call my banks to alert them, which I did. I have now wasted over 1/2 day just to hopefully make sure that my credit is not destroyed and my bank accounts cleaned out.
I highly recommend that others report this company as well to protect your credit and maybe close this unscrupulous company down!!
I am the defition of middle class and I have a beater jeep that I cannot wait to trade it for more fuel efficiency and help towards a more reliable car that does not emit as much carbon. I'm sorry that you all must already have nice cars... Then, I guess you don't need it anyway.
I love wine tastings! I think trying a lot one after the other really helps to identify which wines are good and which are not. Plus they are usually very generous with the portions and it only costs like 3 dollars!
Do you really taste from sweetest to not-so-sweet? That is an interesting point as one would think it would be the other way around.
I tend to purchase new wines by the looks of the label - I have found some that I like, and some that I love using this method. I also tend to stick to the bottles $15 and under and try to buy when they are on-sale.
Mouseprint just ran an article on Plumping. It was a really good one and probably one more thing you might want to look at before you take your next carton of chicken breast from your grocery store refrigerator.
Carrie--It looks as if not only are you providing low- and no-cost activities for the kids but you're also providing a wide variety as well, most of them free form and low key. IMHO, this helps kids develop imagination, independence and a strong sense of self.
The current trend is enrolling kids in one (costly) program activity after another, as though the road to a good college starts before kindergarden. Not only is that expensive, but I feel strongly that it does a disservice to structure a childs life that way. They need lots and lots of free time to grow, develop and to think independently.
Our culture has trended toward conformity within my own lifetime, but is seems what we really need are free thinkers and innovators. That starts in childhood, yes even and especially with recreational activities. At that age, there's enough structure when the attend school.
Bravo to you on all fronts.
I bet I'm not the only guy crossing his legs at the thought of the nail clippers! And Google, well, there's not much we can do about those contextual ads!
Aw, that's cute - Canadians think that they aren't totally taken over by Americans!
I don't know - these seem less like DIY anything and more about serious mental illness. It's scary and sad, but certainly not something that you're going to see a rash of anytime soon. The economy is bad, but these people would have likely done this even in a great economy. They probably suffer from some sort of dysmorphic disorder.
The bizarre thing is that the Hang woman found mental illness treatments too expensive, yet spent who-knows-how-much on disfiguring surgeries for almost 20 years.
Paul--Is it just a coincidence that an ad for WIN FREE LASER HAIR REMOVAL appears just below the article, or is it just another one of life's cruel ironies???
(You just have to love Google AdSense, if nothing else we know they do have a sense of humor)
There are many things I do to save a few bucks, and many, many more that I'd like to do or wish that I could, but self-surgery never crossed my mind. Not only that, but I have this thing about... pain.
This looks like the pathetic, contrived stuff you see in the supermarket tabloids, but if it's real, you really have to feel sorry for these people, both for the sad condition they're in now and for the state of mind that drove them to it.
The girl who injected herself with cooking oil was quite pretty in the before photo (hope my wife isn't on this blog) so you have to wonder what it was she was going for.
The Netspend card is a financial tool, like a checking, or savings account. If someone has had financial difficulty in the past, tools like Netspend or any sort of Debit-Transaction Card is a good choice. Many persons coming through bankruptcy are now finding this a significant alternative. My wife and I both have these types of cards that we use as alternatives to writing checks, or putting something on a credit card where the interest will start accumulating quickly. It has helped to discipline the "buy it now pay it later" American brainwashing to a more "is this really necessary or can we save up for it". Besides that, Netspend is the processor for private branded cards from others such as Capital One so.....
I think the worst one I have heard about is this fellow in England who decided he needed a circumcision, so he gave himself one - with nail clippers. Here is the link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5694913/Man-uses-nail-clippers-in...
Selling used books is also a form of recycling! You can make money and feel good about helping out the planet at the same time.
We love to hit the flea markets where you can find wonderful vintage souvenirs!
Great post. I need all the ideas I can get!
I wrote a similar post not to long ago on the same topic but you've got some ideas I missed.
http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/8-ways-to-keep-your-kids-busy-this-s...
We love the boxcar mysteries too!
I can't imagine anything less than desperation and a severe psychological disorder would possess someone to perform DIY plastic surgery. I'm no expert, but I find that refraining from looking at magazines and watching television shows that promote unrealistic body types and lifestyles help decrease my desire for frivolous purchases and procedures.
I guess since everyone is jumping on the idea of automatically redeeming a satisfaction guarantee rebate as being one of the world's greatest evils, my question would be at what point is it appropriate to request the rebate? Do you send it in only if you are completely dissatisfied, or is it OK to send it if you just think it could be better?
My view on this is that if you are satisfied with the product you shouldn't request the rebate, although it would be appropriate to send an email or call their customer service to tell them you like their product. In many cases they will send you additional coupons for providing the feedback.
I would say the threshold for dissatisfaction should be whether or not it works as well as what you'd normally buy. If it isn't as good as your normal brand, then I say request a rebate. If it is as good or better, I have a hard time justifying that I am "dissatisfied".
I've never redeemed one of these rebates, mainly because if I am dissatisfied with a product I will just return it to the retailer I bought it from. I've never had an instance where the store refused a return for something I wasn't happy with as long as I had my receipt.
I'm glad you mentioned Polyface and farms like it. However, I was surprised to see you mention all the bones, skin and fat you won't be using.
Bones are wonderful to hold onto for making stock (which not only allows you to get some use of the bones, but saves you the $3/box on chicken stock). If you think you won't use it immediately, just toss it in a freezer bag to store until you're ready to make stock (as a time saver, I make the stock in my crock pot while I'm at school or work).
I personally eat the skin, but if you don't, perhaps a dog you know might like it.
As for the fat, I render the fat down and save it for cooking with. Shmaltz adds wonderful flavour to things like the crust for pot pies, frying eggs in or all sorts of other applications. If you're working with chickens that aren't whole, it's even easier to render down the shmaltz. Just skin and de-fat the pieces you're working with and put them in a frying pan on very low heat. Pour off the fat into a container to store it in. From whole chickens, you have to separate the fat from the juices but the extra effort really is worth it. If you store it in the freezer you can get a virtually indefinite life-span from it.
Additionally, when we make stock, I save all the collagen. It's not nutritionally good for much (being a low quality protein), but I've found it works well as a fat substitute when sweating onions and the like. We freeze it in the ice cube tray then transfer it to bags, and my dog enjoys a cube every now and again thawed into his food.
I don't know if that helps justify the higher cost of chickens (to be honest, I'm on a student budget so I only buy chickens when they're on sale, which never includes the special kinds of chickens), but by using all these extra bits that seem superfluous, you not only save on waste but also save the money you'd have spent on the things that're easily made at home using the "waste" portion of the animal.
thanks for the link! Watch out, those Canadians may invade some day. Haven't you seen the movie, "Canadian Bacon"?
Nice ideas! I have never heard of the majority of these and I am going to start using them!
I keep the 12 guage by my bed, too, ready to use. Something that's wrong with society today is that people don't care about what happens to their neighbors... I live in suburbia. If I hear my neighbor's dog barking or his car alarm going off any time of the day, I grab my gun and see what's going on as if it were my home. Whatever happened to looking after people??? It'll be a sad day when someone breaks into my home and dies, but know this... My neighbors heard the shotgun, and they're on their way over.
I always thought as a freind you always respect a person when they yell you they cant afford something. or that their saving up.I think it would be rude for me or anybody to exspect some one to live beyond their means because im spending money so they should too. If i really want a broke friend and my friends have done the same for me too I'll suck it up and buy lunch. Or even better weve found the lost tradtion of going to anothers house for coffee. I use to try and keep up , now I dont , Im happier that I spend my money on the shings that I really love (eg: snow boarding.) my other broke friends like me better to now. Im finding alot of people are getting tired of wasting money to keep of with only a couple of people who can AFFORD it.
Cheers :)
Is that an oxymoron?? Decent public transportation??
Actually Canada Day is a real day - July 1st - when we celebrate that we are not totally taken over by the Americans
I received a NetSpend credit/debit card in the mail. It has the correct address but the wrong name. since I only have 3 neighbors I knew it was not a card they applied for and had a simple typo on the street number. I called NetSpend and after 2 1/2 hrs and several disconnects got nowhere. I called the FTC to report them, they now have the information. They suggested that I call the credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on my account, which I did. They also suggested that I call my banks to alert them, which I did. I have now wasted over 1/2 day just to hopefully make sure that my credit is not destroyed and my bank accounts cleaned out.
I highly recommend that others report this company as well to protect your credit and maybe close this unscrupulous company down!!
I am the defition of middle class and I have a beater jeep that I cannot wait to trade it for more fuel efficiency and help towards a more reliable car that does not emit as much carbon. I'm sorry that you all must already have nice cars... Then, I guess you don't need it anyway.
I love wine tastings! I think trying a lot one after the other really helps to identify which wines are good and which are not. Plus they are usually very generous with the portions and it only costs like 3 dollars!
Do you really taste from sweetest to not-so-sweet? That is an interesting point as one would think it would be the other way around.
I tend to purchase new wines by the looks of the label - I have found some that I like, and some that I love using this method. I also tend to stick to the bottles $15 and under and try to buy when they are on-sale.
Great post!