I agree with some of the above posters that people in the MLM schemes often get a cult mentality and start objectifying friendships.
I had a friend several years ago get into Quixtar and though it did not ruin his marriage... I think... it hurt his career as an engineer. He had way too much focus on the MLM. I gave him my perspective, but he told me I was negative and would not listen to me on MLM. Guy eventually lost his engineering job and now does hourly sales job at a local retail... substantial cut in income. I have not asked him about his Quixtar business in recent years, but I still feel it was a large waste of time for him. I should mention he met his wife while trying to sell her "the plan"... yeah on a date! Crazy?!?!?!?!?
For my entire higher education I've been using campusi.com for finding where the cheapest textbooks are because the bookstores charge so much.
I wanted to recommend it to those who haven't heard of it before, you don't purchase the books through them, but you search the book/item by author/title/isbn/etc and it acts as a search engine of the major sellers and displays them in an easy to read list with shipping, coupons, and final price displayed in an quick format so that $10 book with $30 shipping is listed below the $25 copy with free shipping.
It takes all of 5 minutes to get used to and includes in it's result options a way to look at the older and international editions.
The USPS has a "book and media rate" for about $3.00 to ship an obscene amount of books. I have sent entire encyclopedias by mail while paying next to nothing and delivery times is often better than parcel post and almost as good as 1st class. When traveling abroad I have been able to ship lots of books by post rather than paying excess weight in my baggage allowance (yes I buy that many).
Also the advantage of selling online is that the buyer pays for shipping anyways and even after that charge still comes out cheaper than buying a brand new book at a bricks and mortar store.
I agree that $75K for a two-person household is not poor by any definition. I think you should count your blessings and be grateful for the lifestyle you and your husband have earned.
The poverty line for a family of two is $12,830 according to the 2005 standards. Therefore your family is living at nearly more than 600 percent of the poverty line.
Cheap and poor are not the same thing, and besides which you are too much of an indulged snob to have any idea about poverty.
As a bookseller for one of the "big box" stores mentioned in the article, I'd like to offer up this little piece of advice.
Plan ahead. These textbooks have to be ordered 99% of the time, and it can take up to a week. It is not the store's fault if you waited until the last minute to get a book you need today. That goes for regular books too.
Also, if a professor or teacher (or Oprah...) recommends getting a particular book, and says the store has one, there could be a rush on that book and it will need to be ordered anyways, or they could just be wrong. Or things change. Call ahead-we're happy to check! Generally though, a non-campus bookstore doesn't have thirty copies of Macbeth on hand...
I've been self-employed for about 5 months now. I love being able to pick up my kids from school, work all night if I want to and (of course) WORK IN MY BATHROBE!!!
I work at a coffee shop and I pride myself on being able to remember an entire drink order, as difficult as that sounds. At my coffee shop one employee helps a customer from beginning to end.
I'm sure they will have very good records of your children, they won't want to give away any more money than they have to. As for the working situation, if you're a couple who paid taxes on more than $3k of income (with 7 children that sounds probable) you should get your full $1200.
do you get some of these advantages you've listed. I worked from my apartment when I first started, but still had to travel to meet clients and dress accordingly.
Then I really started to realize the power that having an office can have for your reputation and professional image. So now I rent a space with some other people, but have to travel (only a little distance though) and dress professionally. And to be honest, I like being around people. It keeps the day from being dull, it makes me work a little harder (so that I dont look like I"m slacking) and getting my face out there reminds people I'm in business for myself so they remember me when they meet someone else who needs a graphic designer.
Like all of the other commentors above, I totally agree that the money is what you make of it. Yes, being self-employed means working double because you're not only doing the creative work but the sales, marketing, accounting, etc.
I always used half.com or icollege.com but the easiest things is to post the books you have around campus and sell them for like half of what the bookstore sells them for or swap if you can. I sold a lot of my books by posting a list of them and the classes when i first got to campus on the beginning of the semester and got great response. you dont have to deal with shipping and the person buying doesn't have to wait for the mail either so its win win.
In Ohio, some legislation is being considered that would prohibit professors from changing textbook editions except for every three years, unless there is a substantial change in material. They're being hung up over the definition of "substantial" (last I heard at least) but the thought's on the right course, I think. Most professors I've had recognise that books are expensive and that not much changes from edition to edition (last year one said that he only chose the 7th edition because they sent him one, but that we could get the 6th or even 5th). The proposed Ohio law will also ban the selling of bundles. For example, an intro to Spanish bundle included a textbook and workbook; since you wrote in the workbook, you can't take it back, and since it came bundled, you can't take the textbook by itself. The legislation would require them to be separate transactions. I heard that similar legislation has been passed already in around 15 states.
And on another note, my school's bookstore is actually university-owned. A few years ago, the administration considered outsourcing it, but after student protest (which was hard to organise since we had to convince students that, though expensive, our bookstore's prices weren't as bad as they would be if outsourced) the decision was made to keep it in-house.
How many children you have? We had our seventh child in 2007, but haven't filed him on our taxes yet. So will we get money for him? Also, I worked in 2006, did not work in 2007, and now work at home in 2008 as a W9 employee. So will I get $ or not?
I *should* get $3300... wonder if I'll actually see that money!
many, many more inexpensive alternatives! I've blogged about these other choices in the past. But with that being said, yes hostels can be amazing choices, especially overseas. My brother regularly stays in hostels (even though he can afford otherwise) and has stayed in castles and interesting historic buildings and has gotten advice on what to go see and do he wouldn't have gotten from a hotel staffer.
It's used in glory holes in glass blowing. That's the hottest thing next to the furnace that melts and stores the liquid glass. It's (the glory hole) used to reheat while shaping and gets to be about 2000 degrees F. If the stuff was going to burn, it would burn in there, and it doesn't. It's put on the bottom so if you lose a piece of glass (slippery stuff) you can just poke around and pick it up - covered in kitty litter - but it doesn't stick to the bottom and cause cracking when the glory hole cools down.
And, just to clarify, the kitty litter in your trunk, to be used for traction, needs to be taken out and spread around your tires. Most cars are front wheel drive, so the extra weight alone in the back ain't gonna do you much good.
Blogs allow millions of individuals to share insights, discover new information, and build community. My life as a news consumer is better - and the world has become a better, more interesting, and diverse place too.
Elitism, as almost always, distorts, limits, and perverts information and society.
Let's keep the internet, as Abe Lincoln would say, "of the people, for the people, and by the people."
You articulated a powerful argument to take the leap of faith with an evocative image of a good day and vivid examples.
While security remains somewhat of a myth, facing the reality that you don't know what will actually happen each day as you open your eyes can still provoke acute unease. Will I sell 50 books today? Will I see an accident? Will a client make me smile and laugh? What will I learn in the next 16 hours? What will my life be like in 16 days? What about 16 months - or 16 years?
Acting as if I have faith in my abilities, the nation's future, and the world's decency certainly generates more options - and deeper obligations to my self and my family.
Better get started on that business plan!!!
I've used Hostel World for travel a couple of times. I like the description and that you can (usually) see pics of the places, but the rating system isn't accurate.
For both places I stayed in London and Montreal I did the rating at the end, but when it posted my results, they were not what I had chosen. For example, I did a lower rating on the staff for the hostel in London, but when my results posted, it showed a high rating for the staff!
Then, I tried to find a contact for the website to tell them about their error, but try as I might could not find an email, phone number, ANYTHING. It was really frustrating.
I've been using emusic, and also downloading and donating. The D+D option is good - you give the artist $5 or $10, and download what they offer. A lot of artists are allowing legal downloads these days.
I think the "future" is going to be pay-to-download that's not DRM'd. I don't mind paying $5 for several downloads as an 'album' if I've already sampled a few of the artist's songs and know what I'm getting.
I've been blessed to have run my own software consulting practice for over 20 years now. I've been able to support my family and also save a good bit for retirement.
The article certainly mentions the good reasons for being self-employed, and I certainly would second those.
It does take work however to make it go. Often lots of it. I took little vacation at first, because there was too much to do. There were peaks and valleys of work, tons of it and then none. Managing both can be challenging.
Without getting too long-winded, for me, it's job security. It's all the things above as well as a good income. But it has to be a good fit to a person's skill set and personality. It's not for everyone.
You might like the old book "Your Money or Your Life". They did this kind of budgeting.
When I did this kind of budget analysis, I used dollar-sized slips of paper with a small expense recording form for recording a day's spending. It's a real eye-opener!
I attended a private college for undergrad, and a state instution for grad school. I finished school without loans, because I was a scholarship kid. (I was probably assisted in getting that scholarship by the excellent education I received at my college-prep private high school).
Currently, I teach at a private college, similar to my undergrad. Most of our students receive a fair amount of financial aid, not all of it loans.
Don't assume you'll end up paying full price at a private institution.
I agree with some of the above posters that people in the MLM schemes often get a cult mentality and start objectifying friendships.
I had a friend several years ago get into Quixtar and though it did not ruin his marriage... I think... it hurt his career as an engineer. He had way too much focus on the MLM. I gave him my perspective, but he told me I was negative and would not listen to me on MLM. Guy eventually lost his engineering job and now does hourly sales job at a local retail... substantial cut in income. I have not asked him about his Quixtar business in recent years, but I still feel it was a large waste of time for him. I should mention he met his wife while trying to sell her "the plan"... yeah on a date! Crazy?!?!?!?!?
4) For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze.
I don't know if this works but I'm gonna try it and I'll get back with you on how it worked.
For my entire higher education I've been using campusi.com for finding where the cheapest textbooks are because the bookstores charge so much.
I wanted to recommend it to those who haven't heard of it before, you don't purchase the books through them, but you search the book/item by author/title/isbn/etc and it acts as a search engine of the major sellers and displays them in an easy to read list with shipping, coupons, and final price displayed in an quick format so that $10 book with $30 shipping is listed below the $25 copy with free shipping.
It takes all of 5 minutes to get used to and includes in it's result options a way to look at the older and international editions.
The USPS has a "book and media rate" for about $3.00 to ship an obscene amount of books. I have sent entire encyclopedias by mail while paying next to nothing and delivery times is often better than parcel post and almost as good as 1st class. When traveling abroad I have been able to ship lots of books by post rather than paying excess weight in my baggage allowance (yes I buy that many).
Also the advantage of selling online is that the buyer pays for shipping anyways and even after that charge still comes out cheaper than buying a brand new book at a bricks and mortar store.
I agree that $75K for a two-person household is not poor by any definition. I think you should count your blessings and be grateful for the lifestyle you and your husband have earned.
The poverty line for a family of two is $12,830 according to the 2005 standards. Therefore your family is living at nearly more than 600 percent of the poverty line.
Cheap and poor are not the same thing, and besides which you are too much of an indulged snob to have any idea about poverty.
As a bookseller for one of the "big box" stores mentioned in the article, I'd like to offer up this little piece of advice.
Plan ahead. These textbooks have to be ordered 99% of the time, and it can take up to a week. It is not the store's fault if you waited until the last minute to get a book you need today. That goes for regular books too.
Also, if a professor or teacher (or Oprah...) recommends getting a particular book, and says the store has one, there could be a rush on that book and it will need to be ordered anyways, or they could just be wrong. Or things change. Call ahead-we're happy to check! Generally though, a non-campus bookstore doesn't have thirty copies of Macbeth on hand...
Good point about the wheels. We use the litter around our tires often, when we get stuck in the snow...
I've been self-employed for about 5 months now. I love being able to pick up my kids from school, work all night if I want to and (of course) WORK IN MY BATHROBE!!!
I like all the items you mentioned, but my two favorites are skipping the commute and setting my own schedule.
I work at a coffee shop and I pride myself on being able to remember an entire drink order, as difficult as that sounds. At my coffee shop one employee helps a customer from beginning to end.
I'm sure they will have very good records of your children, they won't want to give away any more money than they have to. As for the working situation, if you're a couple who paid taxes on more than $3k of income (with 7 children that sounds probable) you should get your full $1200.
do you get some of these advantages you've listed. I worked from my apartment when I first started, but still had to travel to meet clients and dress accordingly.
Then I really started to realize the power that having an office can have for your reputation and professional image. So now I rent a space with some other people, but have to travel (only a little distance though) and dress professionally. And to be honest, I like being around people. It keeps the day from being dull, it makes me work a little harder (so that I dont look like I"m slacking) and getting my face out there reminds people I'm in business for myself so they remember me when they meet someone else who needs a graphic designer.
Like all of the other commentors above, I totally agree that the money is what you make of it. Yes, being self-employed means working double because you're not only doing the creative work but the sales, marketing, accounting, etc.
I always used half.com or icollege.com but the easiest things is to post the books you have around campus and sell them for like half of what the bookstore sells them for or swap if you can. I sold a lot of my books by posting a list of them and the classes when i first got to campus on the beginning of the semester and got great response. you dont have to deal with shipping and the person buying doesn't have to wait for the mail either so its win win.
In Ohio, some legislation is being considered that would prohibit professors from changing textbook editions except for every three years, unless there is a substantial change in material. They're being hung up over the definition of "substantial" (last I heard at least) but the thought's on the right course, I think. Most professors I've had recognise that books are expensive and that not much changes from edition to edition (last year one said that he only chose the 7th edition because they sent him one, but that we could get the 6th or even 5th). The proposed Ohio law will also ban the selling of bundles. For example, an intro to Spanish bundle included a textbook and workbook; since you wrote in the workbook, you can't take it back, and since it came bundled, you can't take the textbook by itself. The legislation would require them to be separate transactions. I heard that similar legislation has been passed already in around 15 states.
And on another note, my school's bookstore is actually university-owned. A few years ago, the administration considered outsourcing it, but after student protest (which was hard to organise since we had to convince students that, though expensive, our bookstore's prices weren't as bad as they would be if outsourced) the decision was made to keep it in-house.
How many children you have? We had our seventh child in 2007, but haven't filed him on our taxes yet. So will we get money for him? Also, I worked in 2006, did not work in 2007, and now work at home in 2008 as a W9 employee. So will I get $ or not?
I *should* get $3300... wonder if I'll actually see that money!
many, many more inexpensive alternatives! I've blogged about these other choices in the past. But with that being said, yes hostels can be amazing choices, especially overseas. My brother regularly stays in hostels (even though he can afford otherwise) and has stayed in castles and interesting historic buildings and has gotten advice on what to go see and do he wouldn't have gotten from a hotel staffer.
http://lifelessonsmilitarywife.blogspot.com/2007/11/dont-waste-on-your-n...
It's used in glory holes in glass blowing. That's the hottest thing next to the furnace that melts and stores the liquid glass. It's (the glory hole) used to reheat while shaping and gets to be about 2000 degrees F. If the stuff was going to burn, it would burn in there, and it doesn't. It's put on the bottom so if you lose a piece of glass (slippery stuff) you can just poke around and pick it up - covered in kitty litter - but it doesn't stick to the bottom and cause cracking when the glory hole cools down.
And, just to clarify, the kitty litter in your trunk, to be used for traction, needs to be taken out and spread around your tires. Most cars are front wheel drive, so the extra weight alone in the back ain't gonna do you much good.
Blogs allow millions of individuals to share insights, discover new information, and build community. My life as a news consumer is better - and the world has become a better, more interesting, and diverse place too.
Elitism, as almost always, distorts, limits, and perverts information and society.
Let's keep the internet, as Abe Lincoln would say, "of the people, for the people, and by the people."
You articulated a powerful argument to take the leap of faith with an evocative image of a good day and vivid examples.
While security remains somewhat of a myth, facing the reality that you don't know what will actually happen each day as you open your eyes can still provoke acute unease. Will I sell 50 books today? Will I see an accident? Will a client make me smile and laugh? What will I learn in the next 16 hours? What will my life be like in 16 days? What about 16 months - or 16 years?
Acting as if I have faith in my abilities, the nation's future, and the world's decency certainly generates more options - and deeper obligations to my self and my family.
Better get started on that business plan!!!
I've used Hostel World for travel a couple of times. I like the description and that you can (usually) see pics of the places, but the rating system isn't accurate.
For both places I stayed in London and Montreal I did the rating at the end, but when it posted my results, they were not what I had chosen. For example, I did a lower rating on the staff for the hostel in London, but when my results posted, it showed a high rating for the staff!
Then, I tried to find a contact for the website to tell them about their error, but try as I might could not find an email, phone number, ANYTHING. It was really frustrating.
I've been using emusic, and also downloading and donating. The D+D option is good - you give the artist $5 or $10, and download what they offer. A lot of artists are allowing legal downloads these days.
I think the "future" is going to be pay-to-download that's not DRM'd. I don't mind paying $5 for several downloads as an 'album' if I've already sampled a few of the artist's songs and know what I'm getting.
I've been blessed to have run my own software consulting practice for over 20 years now. I've been able to support my family and also save a good bit for retirement.
The article certainly mentions the good reasons for being self-employed, and I certainly would second those.
It does take work however to make it go. Often lots of it. I took little vacation at first, because there was too much to do. There were peaks and valleys of work, tons of it and then none. Managing both can be challenging.
Without getting too long-winded, for me, it's job security. It's all the things above as well as a good income. But it has to be a good fit to a person's skill set and personality. It's not for everyone.
You might like the old book "Your Money or Your Life". They did this kind of budgeting.
When I did this kind of budget analysis, I used dollar-sized slips of paper with a small expense recording form for recording a day's spending. It's a real eye-opener!
Jimmy Carter was the last "fiscal conservative" to hew to the definition of "conservative" as "one who conserves."
Since his ignominious defeat, the country's been on a debt binge, veering between borrow-and-bomb Republicans, and borrow-and-build Democrats.
It's gotten so bad that, today, most of the prudent Liberal Democrats I know think twice before voting for yet another education bond.
I attended a private college for undergrad, and a state instution for grad school. I finished school without loans, because I was a scholarship kid. (I was probably assisted in getting that scholarship by the excellent education I received at my college-prep private high school).
Currently, I teach at a private college, similar to my undergrad. Most of our students receive a fair amount of financial aid, not all of it loans.
Don't assume you'll end up paying full price at a private institution.