Hey Barbara. The first suggestion would be to take a deep breath when you get a large influx of cash or if you come into money or if there's a sale or if it's holiday season. Asking yourself basic questions like how close am I to services getting cut off or how much of a cushion do I have until more money comes in or how far I am in the hole or would I die without this splurge? Those questions are key. Basically pulling out a mental fire extinguisher and dousing that wallet that's burning a hole in your pocket. As far as savings is concerned, I learned that if you allocate correctly, you won't miss your savings because it's already gone and collecting interest. I actually had to save myself from myself by creating accounts with steep withdrawal penalities. Avoid the manic and avoid the panic and the balance will come.
I use the piggybank to save coins. It´s a really good way to save up some money because those coins you have in your wallet don´t really count. They are not worth so much one by one and you rather pay with a bill.
But after a while they sums up to a big amount.
I think what annoys me the most about the AMT is just that you have to file in two separate systems and each year you never know what to pay. Also, it penalizes people who have many children and high state taxes and that just doesn't seem very fair.
Here in Spain paying arround 26% is really usual. The higher income clases pay up to 43%. There are very little deductions and the first 25.683$ pays 24%. From this amount you pay 28%.
If you earn 75.000$is considered rich or at least that you have a very nice wage. In the old days there where types up to 50%. So may be things can improve.
Nora wrote an interesting post about this awhile back, using one of her old clients as an example of someone who would spend like crazy, then become a monk and not spend at all.
I have found that finding the balance is really hard. I have to be very mechanical and rigid with my money, otherwise it goes into no man's land. I write everything down on a list, and wait a couple of days. If I still want/need it, I figure out if it's a short term or a long term want/need. New TV? or new converter box to hook up the old TV and new gifted DVD player? A difference of a couple hundred dollars. I can't afford the new TV for awhile, so I opt for a cheaper, temporary solution.
Jabulani, any suggestions on what lessons to learn from both halves of ourselves? Have you ever been in this situation? If you were, what did you do about it, and learn from it?
I find this attitude to apply to the rest of life, too: Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Although, never in a million years has a coach-class ticket to a vacation spot been anywhere close to "the worst".
I think a lot of people are uncomfortable asking for anything free. This is especially apparent if you break the world down into "birthday people" and "non-birthday people" - I'm more than happy to walk into my favorite coffee shop on my birthday, spread the news, and see what I can get out of it. Some of my friends don't agree. But this is the same attitude that lets one person get a free upgrade to first class while another is grinding their teeth next to the engines.
I agree except for the chicken, also! We can have roast chicken one night; slick the leftovers for Chinese food, burritos, dice it up for chicken salad. And if I'm really industrious (not lately) use the carcass for chicken soup. Good stewardship.
Many times people forget to barter and network...find a friend of a friend who is an airline employee, or works at Disney, or for a hotel chain even. My neighbor goes to Disney World free a few times a year, gratis her aunt who works there...I have a relative who works for the airline and I regularly fly first class for a few dollars (it's no longer free for Companion passes; almost free though for immediate family). I recently flew to Germany in First Class with the sleeper beds..that was heaven!
As far as rental cars...I have to agree with what you said...they DO upgrade when you ask.
"Do I want it? Do I need it? Can I live without it?
I've used this mantra for years when shopping. It has allowed me to stay simple, live within my needs - and acknowledge that non-physical needs also play a role in my life. In tight financial months, a book is sometimes the best buy for soul food - but certainly not needed for purely getting by! The "shopping mantra" also helped explain shopping and needs to teenagers.
Anyone had specific experience with trying to upgrade to Business Class on a Delta international flight? I've been monitoring the seat availability on a flight we're taking next weekend and there are still several BC seats unreserved. I'm wondering if/how I could get a cheap upgrade at the last minute if there are still unused seats up there...
i found this v useful, especially since i´ve just moved out of my parents´ after finishing college. i would just like to point out, however, that when u increse the pressure, the boiling point decreses hence you need less heat to achieve the same goal and, therefore, cooking is not only faster, it is cheaper as well.
Wrong!!! Runescape is better than tonnes of online games. It contains the real elements that make up an RPG. Did you ever played another online game which you could do something other than fighting. You are insulting me, I am a runescape player and I'm not addicted or from a poor family. If I am an addict why would I be even spending time posting comments in websites like this one. I believe its runescape players own responsibilty not to get addicted. Compared with staff of other online game companies runescape staff are considered responsible for the safety of their customers.
Great post and reminder. Choosing to say NO to a want is very powerful. it's amazing how quickly you discover that even powerful desires to buy/have something pass when you realize the consequences of buying it.
I think we also need to be careful about how we define our needs. Is it really a need? You mention needing a car because you don't have a motorcycle licence. Rather than getting a car, you could get a motorcycle licence...?
Whenever someone waits on me that's chatting with a co-worker or on a personal call when they should be doing their job, I sometimes tell them I gave them a bigger bill than I did, and they always have to believe me because they weren't paying attention to their jobs. I only do it in cases where I felt my service could have been better if they had been focused on their job and not their social or personal lives. I admit it's spiteful of me, but that aside, it's distraction, not mind control, and they are the ones distracting themselves. I would think they would be easy marks for anyone who wanted to deliberately try to distract them (and I would frankly rather have faster service than the extra cash).
as a hip-hop music fan (not particularly Birdman's music), I would say it's definitely believable if you've ever seen the guy. His gold teeth (caps) have diamonds in them. He also claims to replace his fleet of cars every year. Crazy...
I agree with the point you're making in this post; except for the idea that cooking a whole chicken to have meals for a week is somehow extreme--I think that's just practical, "good sense" behavior.
Thanks for your comment, keep checking and I'll keep grinding. I would love to offer notes, critique or input to whatever project you're working on, eh.....shawty. Encourage some of your people to come through too Wisebread too. It's going to be a fun year
Great reminder. I am on an online recycling group and I OFTEN get people posting that they DESPERATELY NEED an item such as a treadmill or a little black dress or a houseplant.
It occurs to me that they probably have never known what desperate need feels like, let alone know the difference between needs and wants.
Hey Barbara. The first suggestion would be to take a deep breath when you get a large influx of cash or if you come into money or if there's a sale or if it's holiday season. Asking yourself basic questions like how close am I to services getting cut off or how much of a cushion do I have until more money comes in or how far I am in the hole or would I die without this splurge? Those questions are key. Basically pulling out a mental fire extinguisher and dousing that wallet that's burning a hole in your pocket. As far as savings is concerned, I learned that if you allocate correctly, you won't miss your savings because it's already gone and collecting interest. I actually had to save myself from myself by creating accounts with steep withdrawal penalities. Avoid the manic and avoid the panic and the balance will come.
Jabulani Leffall
Monetary Gadfly, Common Currency
00000 Broke Blvd. Kitchenette #68 & 1/2
Lowcash, CA 90000-0000
I use the piggybank to save coins. It´s a really good way to save up some money because those coins you have in your wallet don´t really count. They are not worth so much one by one and you rather pay with a bill.
But after a while they sums up to a big amount.
I think what annoys me the most about the AMT is just that you have to file in two separate systems and each year you never know what to pay. Also, it penalizes people who have many children and high state taxes and that just doesn't seem very fair.
Here in Spain paying arround 26% is really usual. The higher income clases pay up to 43%. There are very little deductions and the first 25.683$ pays 24%. From this amount you pay 28%.
If you earn 75.000$is considered rich or at least that you have a very nice wage. In the old days there where types up to 50%. So may be things can improve.
Nora wrote an interesting post about this awhile back, using one of her old clients as an example of someone who would spend like crazy, then become a monk and not spend at all.
I have found that finding the balance is really hard. I have to be very mechanical and rigid with my money, otherwise it goes into no man's land. I write everything down on a list, and wait a couple of days. If I still want/need it, I figure out if it's a short term or a long term want/need. New TV? or new converter box to hook up the old TV and new gifted DVD player? A difference of a couple hundred dollars. I can't afford the new TV for awhile, so I opt for a cheaper, temporary solution.
Jabulani, any suggestions on what lessons to learn from both halves of ourselves? Have you ever been in this situation? If you were, what did you do about it, and learn from it?
Nora, you give the best travel tips!
I find this attitude to apply to the rest of life, too: Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Although, never in a million years has a coach-class ticket to a vacation spot been anywhere close to "the worst".
I think a lot of people are uncomfortable asking for anything free. This is especially apparent if you break the world down into "birthday people" and "non-birthday people" - I'm more than happy to walk into my favorite coffee shop on my birthday, spread the news, and see what I can get out of it. Some of my friends don't agree. But this is the same attitude that lets one person get a free upgrade to first class while another is grinding their teeth next to the engines.
I means slice the chicken, not slick!
I agree except for the chicken, also! We can have roast chicken one night; slick the leftovers for Chinese food, burritos, dice it up for chicken salad. And if I'm really industrious (not lately) use the carcass for chicken soup. Good stewardship.
Making fun of frugal people is wrong.
Many times people forget to barter and network...find a friend of a friend who is an airline employee, or works at Disney, or for a hotel chain even. My neighbor goes to Disney World free a few times a year, gratis her aunt who works there...I have a relative who works for the airline and I regularly fly first class for a few dollars (it's no longer free for Companion passes; almost free though for immediate family). I recently flew to Germany in First Class with the sleeper beds..that was heaven!
As far as rental cars...I have to agree with what you said...they DO upgrade when you ask.
"Do I want it? Do I need it? Can I live without it?
I've used this mantra for years when shopping. It has allowed me to stay simple, live within my needs - and acknowledge that non-physical needs also play a role in my life. In tight financial months, a book is sometimes the best buy for soul food - but certainly not needed for purely getting by! The "shopping mantra" also helped explain shopping and needs to teenagers.
Anyone had specific experience with trying to upgrade to Business Class on a Delta international flight? I've been monitoring the seat availability on a flight we're taking next weekend and there are still several BC seats unreserved. I'm wondering if/how I could get a cheap upgrade at the last minute if there are still unused seats up there...
i found this v useful, especially since i´ve just moved out of my parents´ after finishing college. i would just like to point out, however, that when u increse the pressure, the boiling point decreses hence you need less heat to achieve the same goal and, therefore, cooking is not only faster, it is cheaper as well.
Wrong!!! Runescape is better than tonnes of online games. It contains the real elements that make up an RPG. Did you ever played another online game which you could do something other than fighting. You are insulting me, I am a runescape player and I'm not addicted or from a poor family. If I am an addict why would I be even spending time posting comments in websites like this one. I believe its runescape players own responsibilty not to get addicted. Compared with staff of other online game companies runescape staff are considered responsible for the safety of their customers.
Great post and reminder. Choosing to say NO to a want is very powerful. it's amazing how quickly you discover that even powerful desires to buy/have something pass when you realize the consequences of buying it.
I think we also need to be careful about how we define our needs. Is it really a need? You mention needing a car because you don't have a motorcycle licence. Rather than getting a car, you could get a motorcycle licence...?
K, I relent but how about piecemealing a chicken out of a Crockpot for two weeks. Huh? That's kind of pushing it. :)
Jabulani Leffall
Monetary Gadfly, Common Currency
00000 Broke Blvd. Kitchenette #68 & 1/2
Lowcash, CA 90000-0000
Whenever someone waits on me that's chatting with a co-worker or on a personal call when they should be doing their job, I sometimes tell them I gave them a bigger bill than I did, and they always have to believe me because they weren't paying attention to their jobs. I only do it in cases where I felt my service could have been better if they had been focused on their job and not their social or personal lives. I admit it's spiteful of me, but that aside, it's distraction, not mind control, and they are the ones distracting themselves. I would think they would be easy marks for anyone who wanted to deliberately try to distract them (and I would frankly rather have faster service than the extra cash).
My guess is that this video is bullsh*t.
voltage sources connected in series are additive. eight 1.5 volt batteries equals 12 volts...which is NOT the same voltage as an AA battery.
as a hip-hop music fan (not particularly Birdman's music), I would say it's definitely believable if you've ever seen the guy. His gold teeth (caps) have diamonds in them. He also claims to replace his fleet of cars every year. Crazy...
Two million on a necklace? Say it ain't so.
I agree with the point you're making in this post; except for the idea that cooking a whole chicken to have meals for a week is somehow extreme--I think that's just practical, "good sense" behavior.
Thanks for your comment, keep checking and I'll keep grinding. I would love to offer notes, critique or input to whatever project you're working on, eh.....shawty. Encourage some of your people to come through too Wisebread too. It's going to be a fun year
The EasyFold makes folding and storing your fitted sheets and complete sheet sets a breeze! This really works! Demo is on my website and on you tube.
Great reminder. I am on an online recycling group and I OFTEN get people posting that they DESPERATELY NEED an item such as a treadmill or a little black dress or a houseplant.
It occurs to me that they probably have never known what desperate need feels like, let alone know the difference between needs and wants.
Great tip. My husband and I got a free upgrade on our last rental!