Wow, that was snarky, cynical, AND preachy. One "tip" you might also reconsider is not using premium fuel in cars designed for it.
You have to understand what's going on to understand why this is a bad idea. These systems use a knock sensor to adapt ignition timing. When low octane gas pre-detonates (a damaging event for an engine, by the way), the computer adjusts the ignition timing to prevent this from happening again.
This is good, right? Kind of. You won't get detonation AFTER this, but you will already have suffered the destructive effects of detonation until the engine adjusts, and when the engine DOES adjust, it will reduce the power the engine can produce. The worse the knock, the more severe the adjustment.
Most engines that require high octane gas are high performance engines. By putting low grade gas in your high performance engine, you are potentially reducing its performance. Why buy an expensive engine and then hamstring it into performing like a lower-performance engine by forcing it to "turn down the power"?
Worse still, if your engine doesn't adjust its behavior properly for whatever reason (it doesn't adapt, the knock sensor is broken, etc), you could damage your engine.
Seems I'm always in the middle; too frugal for some of my friends and family but not frugal enough for others.
If I let their opinions influence my spending and saving, I'd never reach my goals. I've tried to adopt a "spend and let spend" attitude, but if the truth be told, I'm more concerned about being considered a spendthrift than I am about being considered a skinflint.
Some collections company in Buffalo (not sure if it's one of these) contacted me last year about a delinquency on a mortgage with Chase. I've never had a mortgage, and at that time I didn't have any sort of an account with Chase. They called me every day for two weeks.
I simply followed all the standard steps on debt validation. Sent a letter to each of their two offices requesting proof of the account and of how much I owed. Added a nice but firm warning that if they do not provide validation and continue to harass me, my lawyer would be contacting them about their breach of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Funnily enough, after I received the return receipts on the letters, I never heard back from those companies again.
Go Cuomo, but it's also important for people to know their rights when it comes to debt collection.
It saddens me that empathy seems to be a thing of the past nowadays. Since I have not walked in their shoes, I would never judge whether someone's debt is their own fault or due to circumstances beyond their control.
Of course, I do all I can to not have debt (except that pesky mortgage), but life has thrown me curve balls in the past, and may certainly do so in the future, so I'll avoid the better-than-thou prideful attitude.
If the circumstance came up, I would likely try to work with settling my debt myself, because I often negotiate with companies on prices and fees. If I did select a lawyer or firm to settle my debt, I would be awfully careful to check out their history and talk to former clients. I like to keep a close eye on anyone who has access to my financial info!
You make some very good points. The examples you depict are great, with some well thought out solutions. It really does boil down to "your lifestyle" and your immediate family's. Though you do have to deal with the social aspects of it as you mentioned.
Identity theft is not just about credit cards! Even if you don't have one yourself, someone may open up a new credit card under your name with just regular mailing information and other things in your recycling box. Not to mention, bank accounts often get hijacked as well. Not having a credit card definitely does not guarantee you security.
ERASER by heidi is a great free file wiping solution. just deleting / recycling does not actually remove the contents and files may be easily retrievable. I generally do a 7 pass wipe.
Yeah, in fact if you look closely the right side of the can clearly has English text on it - incomplete, but it's easy to see it says something like 'Atlantic herring in natural sauce'.
A good question is, though, is that some kind of a processing error or are there supposed to be jaws and teeth in the can? I'd say no, since it would seem to be impossible to use those in cooking in any way.
While watching the new X-files movie, I noticed something. She was using Google to look up new procedures to treat a kid's disease. After thinking about this, I realized I use Google all the time to look up how to fix a particular issue on a computer or find the syntax for some ColdFusion commands.
My guess is that doctors are only humans too. They may know a lot about a particular field of interest or remember what they have ran across before, but they can't possibly know all the symptoms and cures for all ailments. I bet they used to have medical books that they looked to all the time, now they probably use the internet. They might have access to more credible sites than general Google searches but who knows. Don't get me wrong, they went through a lot of schooling to get their degree, but speaking for myself I'm lucky if I remember half what I ran across in college.
We bought the Dyson Animal when it first came out and found it to be such a disappointment. At the time, I had 5 big dogs. You know those abandoned dogs you see running across the highway or parking lot without tags? They come to live with me. Anyway, I am a neurotic cleaner and vacuum daily for fear that my house will smell like 'dog'. We bought the Dyson after doing a bit of research (clearly not enough) about the company's claim to picking up pet hair. Huge disappointment. (Prior to this I owned a Hoover (w/ bag) for years and in retrospect was superior to the Dyson.) Because of the daily use of the product, I performed regular maintenance on an accelerated schedule. I diligently cleaned the machine and had it to repair shops for 'reduction in suction' on more than one occasion. It always technically worked - but it didn't take long (months) for it to lose overall suction. Maybe if I had resigned myself to vacuuming the same spot for 5 minutes - I would have achieved the results I was looking for but maybe not. I ended up giving this working vacuum to a friend without pets who was in desperate and immediate need of any vacuum. More in depth research (once bitten, twice shy) led me to Miele. After 2 years of EXCELLENT results, I am never buying another brand. It is lightweight, quiet and suctions like a champs. My dogs are not afraid of this quiet vacuum and so b/w that and the excellent results - we all live in a peaceful, clean home.
If you're going to spend money, you should be responsible for paying it back. I've always worked whatever number of jobs I needed to pay off my expenses each month. I never keep a balance on a credit card. As a result, I've never been in a position to look into any sort of debt management. There are times when I could see it might be needed, such as an unforeseen medical expense.
My personal belief is that if you borrowed something from someone, you owe it back to them. That's it. No trying to get out of paying part of it and calling it good.
I have never had to deal with a creditor for my own personal finances, but I have counseled many couples (probably 30 or so over the years) on how to deal with them. In some cases, I've even been given permission to work with the creditor to negotiate on behalf of the couple. Here's what I've found:
1. Creditors want to reach a workable agreement as much as borrowers do. They want their money back (of course!) and they are often willing to be flexible (take a longer time to re-pay, suspend payments for a time, lower the interest rate, etc.) as long as they know the borrower is sincere and committed to re-paying.
2. Borrowers generally have a lot more money to free up for debt repayment than they think. Give me 30 minutes with someone's budget and I guarantee I can find money they don't need to spend and can allocate to paying debt instead.
3. At the first sign of debt trouble, the borrower should contact the lender. This gives them both time to find a workable solution. Most borrowers wait until they are several months behind on payments and then contact the lender. By this time, the lender sees the borrower as a "deadbeat". In my way of doing things, they see the borrower as an honest, proactive person trying to fulfill their commitments.
All this said, this economy is different than any other I've seen, and creditors may be tougher than before. Still, I think these principles will work for most people in most circumstances.
We do not use credit cards. Instead, we pay cash for most purchases, and occasionally use our debit cards. I feel, if you borrow money, you have an obligation to pay it back. Of course, credit card companies have an obligation to be honest and forthright, and upfront about their policies and procedures. In the end, even if you settle, someone will end up paying for the cost of your loan. As a result, the cost will be passed on, to other customers, through increased rates and fees.
there's a new program starting July 1st that will allow you to pay your student loans on an income scale. (mostly because they extend your terms to 25 years from 10)
Yes, I think it's a great idea to settle your debt with the credit card companies. With so many people heading toward bankruptcy, the companies would much rather have a few cents on the dollar, than nothing on the dollar.
Sure, you spent the money. But, you were charged interest on that, weren't you? And credit card companies have NO problem jacking up your rate when they feel like it, or even upping or lowering your balance at will. Even if you've NEVER missed a payment, they can do what they pretty much like with your account.
Hopefully with the new legislation, alot of that will change.
I'm going to study in Europe in a few months and I've definitely been thinking of getting some kind of pass so that I can see everything, so this is great confirmation. There are a ton of advantages to traveling by train over flying, for sure.
Heard from one woman who drills a whole in the spine of the phone book, screws in a broom handle, and uses it as a damp mop. Also had an email from a guy who built a garden shed out of phone books ... until the housing authorities made him take it down.
Thanks for the comments. It great to be blogging on Wise Bread again.
Yeah, I hear ya on the pros and cons of friends/family being able to borrow your vehicle. I specifically bought a pickup truck with a manual transmission so that my neighbor - who can't drive a stick - wouldn't borrow it like he did my old (automatic) truck.
I had a furious rash that I tried to compare to images on the net. I researched and someone mentioned diet pills. I had started taking diet pills a few weeks earlier. I stopped taking them and the rash cleared. Although I did not plan on going to the doctor over the issue, I am forever grateful that I found the source of the problem that was causing me so much pain and discomfort.
I very foolish allowed the loan officers at school to talk me into student loans. They honestly made it seem like the payments would be nothing hardly at all. Now I have payments equal to my montly rent. I wish I had known to research it better. I am not sure that student loans even qualify for debt settlement and I know I don't have the money to pay it off immediately so even if it did I wouldn't use it.
Wow, that was snarky, cynical, AND preachy. One "tip" you might also reconsider is not using premium fuel in cars designed for it.
You have to understand what's going on to understand why this is a bad idea. These systems use a knock sensor to adapt ignition timing. When low octane gas pre-detonates (a damaging event for an engine, by the way), the computer adjusts the ignition timing to prevent this from happening again.
This is good, right? Kind of. You won't get detonation AFTER this, but you will already have suffered the destructive effects of detonation until the engine adjusts, and when the engine DOES adjust, it will reduce the power the engine can produce. The worse the knock, the more severe the adjustment.
Most engines that require high octane gas are high performance engines. By putting low grade gas in your high performance engine, you are potentially reducing its performance. Why buy an expensive engine and then hamstring it into performing like a lower-performance engine by forcing it to "turn down the power"?
Worse still, if your engine doesn't adjust its behavior properly for whatever reason (it doesn't adapt, the knock sensor is broken, etc), you could damage your engine.
This tip really IS a great way to waste money!
That should have been white and red. I will change. Wow, I need a cup of coffee!
Seems I'm always in the middle; too frugal for some of my friends and family but not frugal enough for others.
If I let their opinions influence my spending and saving, I'd never reach my goals. I've tried to adopt a "spend and let spend" attitude, but if the truth be told, I'm more concerned about being considered a spendthrift than I am about being considered a skinflint.
"Imagine closing your eyes and picking one red ball out of a bag of 34 red balls…yep, doubtful."
Actually picking one red ball out of a bag of 34 red balls is pretty easy, I'd say.
Why isn't "buying music" a waste? The radio waves carry music, the internet archive has public mp3s, the library has CDs.
Some collections company in Buffalo (not sure if it's one of these) contacted me last year about a delinquency on a mortgage with Chase. I've never had a mortgage, and at that time I didn't have any sort of an account with Chase. They called me every day for two weeks.
I simply followed all the standard steps on debt validation. Sent a letter to each of their two offices requesting proof of the account and of how much I owed. Added a nice but firm warning that if they do not provide validation and continue to harass me, my lawyer would be contacting them about their breach of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Funnily enough, after I received the return receipts on the letters, I never heard back from those companies again.
Go Cuomo, but it's also important for people to know their rights when it comes to debt collection.
It saddens me that empathy seems to be a thing of the past nowadays. Since I have not walked in their shoes, I would never judge whether someone's debt is their own fault or due to circumstances beyond their control.
Of course, I do all I can to not have debt (except that pesky mortgage), but life has thrown me curve balls in the past, and may certainly do so in the future, so I'll avoid the better-than-thou prideful attitude.
If the circumstance came up, I would likely try to work with settling my debt myself, because I often negotiate with companies on prices and fees. If I did select a lawyer or firm to settle my debt, I would be awfully careful to check out their history and talk to former clients. I like to keep a close eye on anyone who has access to my financial info!
You make some very good points. The examples you depict are great, with some well thought out solutions. It really does boil down to "your lifestyle" and your immediate family's. Though you do have to deal with the social aspects of it as you mentioned.
http://www.clickingsave.com/amazon-fillers.html
This site have all the bargain deals up to date as I used today and other sites just a waste of time.
Thanks!
Identity theft is not just about credit cards! Even if you don't have one yourself, someone may open up a new credit card under your name with just regular mailing information and other things in your recycling box. Not to mention, bank accounts often get hijacked as well. Not having a credit card definitely does not guarantee you security.
ERASER by heidi is a great free file wiping solution. just deleting / recycling does not actually remove the contents and files may be easily retrievable. I generally do a 7 pass wipe.
Yeah, in fact if you look closely the right side of the can clearly has English text on it - incomplete, but it's easy to see it says something like 'Atlantic herring in natural sauce'.
A good question is, though, is that some kind of a processing error or are there supposed to be jaws and teeth in the can? I'd say no, since it would seem to be impossible to use those in cooking in any way.
While watching the new X-files movie, I noticed something. She was using Google to look up new procedures to treat a kid's disease. After thinking about this, I realized I use Google all the time to look up how to fix a particular issue on a computer or find the syntax for some ColdFusion commands.
My guess is that doctors are only humans too. They may know a lot about a particular field of interest or remember what they have ran across before, but they can't possibly know all the symptoms and cures for all ailments. I bet they used to have medical books that they looked to all the time, now they probably use the internet. They might have access to more credible sites than general Google searches but who knows. Don't get me wrong, they went through a lot of schooling to get their degree, but speaking for myself I'm lucky if I remember half what I ran across in college.
We bought the Dyson Animal when it first came out and found it to be such a disappointment. At the time, I had 5 big dogs. You know those abandoned dogs you see running across the highway or parking lot without tags? They come to live with me. Anyway, I am a neurotic cleaner and vacuum daily for fear that my house will smell like 'dog'. We bought the Dyson after doing a bit of research (clearly not enough) about the company's claim to picking up pet hair. Huge disappointment. (Prior to this I owned a Hoover (w/ bag) for years and in retrospect was superior to the Dyson.) Because of the daily use of the product, I performed regular maintenance on an accelerated schedule. I diligently cleaned the machine and had it to repair shops for 'reduction in suction' on more than one occasion. It always technically worked - but it didn't take long (months) for it to lose overall suction. Maybe if I had resigned myself to vacuuming the same spot for 5 minutes - I would have achieved the results I was looking for but maybe not. I ended up giving this working vacuum to a friend without pets who was in desperate and immediate need of any vacuum. More in depth research (once bitten, twice shy) led me to Miele. After 2 years of EXCELLENT results, I am never buying another brand. It is lightweight, quiet and suctions like a champs. My dogs are not afraid of this quiet vacuum and so b/w that and the excellent results - we all live in a peaceful, clean home.
If you're going to spend money, you should be responsible for paying it back. I've always worked whatever number of jobs I needed to pay off my expenses each month. I never keep a balance on a credit card. As a result, I've never been in a position to look into any sort of debt management. There are times when I could see it might be needed, such as an unforeseen medical expense.
My personal belief is that if you borrowed something from someone, you owe it back to them. That's it. No trying to get out of paying part of it and calling it good.
I have never had to deal with a creditor for my own personal finances, but I have counseled many couples (probably 30 or so over the years) on how to deal with them. In some cases, I've even been given permission to work with the creditor to negotiate on behalf of the couple. Here's what I've found:
1. Creditors want to reach a workable agreement as much as borrowers do. They want their money back (of course!) and they are often willing to be flexible (take a longer time to re-pay, suspend payments for a time, lower the interest rate, etc.) as long as they know the borrower is sincere and committed to re-paying.
2. Borrowers generally have a lot more money to free up for debt repayment than they think. Give me 30 minutes with someone's budget and I guarantee I can find money they don't need to spend and can allocate to paying debt instead.
3. At the first sign of debt trouble, the borrower should contact the lender. This gives them both time to find a workable solution. Most borrowers wait until they are several months behind on payments and then contact the lender. By this time, the lender sees the borrower as a "deadbeat". In my way of doing things, they see the borrower as an honest, proactive person trying to fulfill their commitments.
All this said, this economy is different than any other I've seen, and creditors may be tougher than before. Still, I think these principles will work for most people in most circumstances.
We do not use credit cards. Instead, we pay cash for most purchases, and occasionally use our debit cards. I feel, if you borrow money, you have an obligation to pay it back. Of course, credit card companies have an obligation to be honest and forthright, and upfront about their policies and procedures. In the end, even if you settle, someone will end up paying for the cost of your loan. As a result, the cost will be passed on, to other customers, through increased rates and fees.
there's a new program starting July 1st that will allow you to pay your student loans on an income scale. (mostly because they extend your terms to 25 years from 10)
I'd check it out with your lenders
Yes, I think it's a great idea to settle your debt with the credit card companies. With so many people heading toward bankruptcy, the companies would much rather have a few cents on the dollar, than nothing on the dollar.
Sure, you spent the money. But, you were charged interest on that, weren't you? And credit card companies have NO problem jacking up your rate when they feel like it, or even upping or lowering your balance at will. Even if you've NEVER missed a payment, they can do what they pretty much like with your account.
Hopefully with the new legislation, alot of that will change.
I am worried people will focus on the "lower payments" rather than on the rules, fees, and other requirements associated with debt settlement.
I'm going to study in Europe in a few months and I've definitely been thinking of getting some kind of pass so that I can see everything, so this is great confirmation. There are a ton of advantages to traveling by train over flying, for sure.
Thanks for the additional tips.
Heard from one woman who drills a whole in the spine of the phone book, screws in a broom handle, and uses it as a damp mop. Also had an email from a guy who built a garden shed out of phone books ... until the housing authorities made him take it down.
Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
Thanks for the comments. It great to be blogging on Wise Bread again.
Yeah, I hear ya on the pros and cons of friends/family being able to borrow your vehicle. I specifically bought a pickup truck with a manual transmission so that my neighbor - who can't drive a stick - wouldn't borrow it like he did my old (automatic) truck.
Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
I had a furious rash that I tried to compare to images on the net. I researched and someone mentioned diet pills. I had started taking diet pills a few weeks earlier. I stopped taking them and the rash cleared. Although I did not plan on going to the doctor over the issue, I am forever grateful that I found the source of the problem that was causing me so much pain and discomfort.
I very foolish allowed the loan officers at school to talk me into student loans. They honestly made it seem like the payments would be nothing hardly at all. Now I have payments equal to my montly rent. I wish I had known to research it better. I am not sure that student loans even qualify for debt settlement and I know I don't have the money to pay it off immediately so even if it did I wouldn't use it.