Technically, a tax on things purchased over the Internet would be unconstitutional (interstate trade and all that). So, even if they did pass a tax (I do think that some states have tried), it would likely get shot down in court. However, technically (and legally), there is tax on all of those goods. Look for an item on your state income tax returns that asks about goods purchased out of state for which no tax was paid (Vermont has this, and I'm sure a lot of other states do also). Vermont's returns have had this for a long time (well before the Internet was common place, or possibly even around) because we're right next to tax-free New Hampshire and a lot of people go over the state line to buy just about everything.
I don't think anyone actually pays this tax, and in Vermont I've never heard of them going after someone for not paying, but I guess legally they could.
Hello, I just thought you should know these articles don't print very well, I tend to get the first page and the footer but everything inbetween is cut off. I'm using Firefox 2.0
Pay toilets used to be very common many years ago, but in the 1970s laws were passed in many states to ban them. I don't think any politician in any state would be willing to put much effort into reversing that law.
I'm meticulous about keeping track of purchases made with my checkcard but give me cash and I can spend it before I blink somehow. Part of it is that I don't track cash (too many pennies here pennies there.)
It does drive me a little nutz when people who educate people about getting out of debt are adamant that you get cash and put it in envelopes for each budget item. Or to get cash because you can't spend more than you have. Or to get cash because of debit card fees (again, know your bank or use your debit card like a credit card so you aren't charged fees... and aren't putting your pin in other companies systems.) Or to get cash for spending because you won't overdraft your checking account (the lamest excuse I've heard so far actually ... maybe people should balance their checkbook and know how much they have so they don't get charged overdraft fees.)
Can you tell it's a pet peeve?
Granted for some people budgeted cash in an envelope system does work better but not for everyone.
So what can I resist buying today? How about replace the french fries and soda with the apple walnut side at McDonald's. Actually I did do that yesterday when I was crunched for time to make dinner. Resisting those greasy salty fries is hard! Apples, cheeseburger and a water and by the end of it I wasn't craving the fries (and there was a small amount of money saved there too.) :)
#10. Our library charges $1 per item on new release movies, books, and audio books. SOME books, I should say. They have a couple free ones, but if they're checked out and you want to read it; you must pay. Same town as Philip Brewer. woot! =D
Restaurants charge for drink refills at their own peril. There are already a number of restaurants I stopped going to because they decided they could try to charge for refills. Even if I do go, I may opt to not buy a drink at all. I usually have drinking water in the car.
I have paid into Free Car Media for over two years. I have not received a phone call or anything. I am always on that website updating information.
I used to email the person who operates this website, even she stopped emailing. I have waited patiently for over two years waiting and waiting for a "free" car. What did you do to get a car? I live in Northern California. There located near Los Angeles and I am not. I am beginning to think that this "free car" offer is only for those living in or around Santa Monica, basically Southern California.
Grandma was so right. I probably have the worst case of buyers remorse on the planet. Sometimes I will leave a store by the time I get to my car I wish I had not purchased anything.My grandfather and father both instilled these principles in me. When I bought my first car I was so sick I did not want to drive it. I have always been afraid to get back down to that last penny. How do you cope with spending money?
There is a great recipe from Paula Deen...Gobbler Cobbler.
Basically it's how I make my chicken pot pie but here goes...
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
As much turkey as you can stand
Frozen mixed veggies (I like the beans/carrots mixture)
I also add a can of corn
and a package of puff pastry (I do this to be a bit fancier) OR as Paula Deen does, a package of pie crust.
Throw it all in an 8x8 or 9x9 brownie pan
Mix
Cover with pie crust and make holes, you can get as fancy as you want...Paula does lattice work as you would on a pie
Or
Cover with puff pastry (no holes)
You can egg wash the top, I definitely do with the puff pastry and then I put it in the oven at 350 until the pie crust is golden or the puff pastry is puffed and golden.
It amazes me how much we'll do in the name of competition--everything from deny ourselves food (to wait until we eat at home) to stab our friends in the back. I wonder why that is...
Myscha, I like your spin on competition when you're by yourself. It truly is a good feeling to beat the system or get something for nothing when you know that wasn't the original idea.
Hey Julie,
Great Post!
I particularly liked "Being the quickest to have the answer is not necessarily a good characteristic." What a phenomenal suggestion.
All week long I've been resisting upgrading my Kitchenaid Artisan mixer to a Kitchenaid Professional. There's a great deal on Amazon and everything! But my credit card balances are yelling No no no!
Thanks for this post—there are some great ideas here!
I wanted to chip in with my own idea for anyone who’s interested (I just had this for lunch, and it’s delicious):
Shred some turkey and set it aside (I used breast meat, but you can use whatever you want). Then heat up some pre-made marinara sauce and throw in some ground pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder (or just use homemade marinara sauce). When that’s hot, mix in some shredded mozzarella and the shredded turkey you set aside earlier. Serve over noodles or in a hamburger bun.
I LOVED this post! It really hit home and touched upon so many good points. I browsed online all afternoon, and after reading this, I didn't buy a single thing.
we come, we go, breathe it in and out. open up with joy and let go with awareness of the interconnectivity existing with everything dominated all by the impermanance of this transient dream.
one love.
bdb
The popcorn situation reminds me of a time when every bag that I popped out of a particular box of popcorn burnt after only 1 minute, and none of the kernels popped. When I contacted them with the batch number, they looked into it and were able to fix an error on their processing line as a result. Not only did I get a refund, some extra popcorn, and a "thank you," but I was able to save some other folks the hassle of buying defective popcorn.
Thanks for the uplifting advice (reminder). We all know of the complaints ignored galore -- when the customer service rep/manager insists that "that..." (whatever we mention) has never happened before. I had a friend have an unusual problem with her new car, which should took to the dealership, where she was nearly shamed into thinking she was the problem; a few months later, there's a national recall!!
It's been awhile but I alerted a company (Guiltless Gourmet) about some stale chips; and I received a fresh bag and a bunch of coupons in the mail. Just last week, my son rejected some microwave popcorn because it didn't have the butter flavor it should have (he wasn't being ornery, I checked it and he was righ). I considered calling the manufacturer and/or retailer but didn't; you've inspired me though to follow up. It's helpful to the companies who do listen and now that I think of it, can be rewarding as well!
I love your post... of course, we have a variable income each month (sometimes way more than we need to live, sometimes zero...) so we have learned to live on almost nothing. As I am doing my morning chores each morning (gathering firewood, collecting eggs, preparing homemade dogfood with our surplus of rice and meats) I thank God that I am healthy enough to live a somewhat self-sustaining lifestyle. We are prepared to meet the worst with little to no adjustment on our part. And we like it this way.
This country really breathes and lives on debt. I feel like we're pushed towards debt. Interest rates on savings accounts are always extremely low and advertisements everywhere are encouraging "buy buy buy". The so called "American Dream" is to have a mortgage. Guess what a mortgage is.. DEBT! It makes no sense to me.
Handy article! But I have to agree about the mugs. We can't give our overabundance away at this point!
Technically, a tax on things purchased over the Internet would be unconstitutional (interstate trade and all that). So, even if they did pass a tax (I do think that some states have tried), it would likely get shot down in court. However, technically (and legally), there is tax on all of those goods. Look for an item on your state income tax returns that asks about goods purchased out of state for which no tax was paid (Vermont has this, and I'm sure a lot of other states do also). Vermont's returns have had this for a long time (well before the Internet was common place, or possibly even around) because we're right next to tax-free New Hampshire and a lot of people go over the state line to buy just about everything.
I don't think anyone actually pays this tax, and in Vermont I've never heard of them going after someone for not paying, but I guess legally they could.
Hello, I just thought you should know these articles don't print very well, I tend to get the first page and the footer but everything inbetween is cut off. I'm using Firefox 2.0
Many thanks,
A Wise Bread fan!
Pay toilets used to be very common many years ago, but in the 1970s laws were passed in many states to ban them. I don't think any politician in any state would be willing to put much effort into reversing that law.
I'm meticulous about keeping track of purchases made with my checkcard but give me cash and I can spend it before I blink somehow. Part of it is that I don't track cash (too many pennies here pennies there.)
It does drive me a little nutz when people who educate people about getting out of debt are adamant that you get cash and put it in envelopes for each budget item. Or to get cash because you can't spend more than you have. Or to get cash because of debit card fees (again, know your bank or use your debit card like a credit card so you aren't charged fees... and aren't putting your pin in other companies systems.) Or to get cash for spending because you won't overdraft your checking account (the lamest excuse I've heard so far actually ... maybe people should balance their checkbook and know how much they have so they don't get charged overdraft fees.)
Can you tell it's a pet peeve?
Granted for some people budgeted cash in an envelope system does work better but not for everyone.
So what can I resist buying today? How about replace the french fries and soda with the apple walnut side at McDonald's. Actually I did do that yesterday when I was crunched for time to make dinner. Resisting those greasy salty fries is hard! Apples, cheeseburger and a water and by the end of it I wasn't craving the fries (and there was a small amount of money saved there too.) :)
#8. They do have canned oxygen: http://www.failedsuccess.com/index.php?/weblog/comments/canned_oxygen_fl...
#10. Our library charges $1 per item on new release movies, books, and audio books. SOME books, I should say. They have a couple free ones, but if they're checked out and you want to read it; you must pay. Same town as Philip Brewer. woot! =D
Restaurants charge for drink refills at their own peril. There are already a number of restaurants I stopped going to because they decided they could try to charge for refills. Even if I do go, I may opt to not buy a drink at all. I usually have drinking water in the car.
I have paid into Free Car Media for over two years. I have not received a phone call or anything. I am always on that website updating information.
I used to email the person who operates this website, even she stopped emailing. I have waited patiently for over two years waiting and waiting for a "free" car. What did you do to get a car? I live in Northern California. There located near Los Angeles and I am not. I am beginning to think that this "free car" offer is only for those living in or around Santa Monica, basically Southern California.
I have woundered if the hard drives are there but I believe that they are in the hood part of the aquarium
Grandma was so right. I probably have the worst case of buyers remorse on the planet. Sometimes I will leave a store by the time I get to my car I wish I had not purchased anything.My grandfather and father both instilled these principles in me. When I bought my first car I was so sick I did not want to drive it. I have always been afraid to get back down to that last penny. How do you cope with spending money?
There is a great recipe from Paula Deen...Gobbler Cobbler.
Basically it's how I make my chicken pot pie but here goes...
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
As much turkey as you can stand
Frozen mixed veggies (I like the beans/carrots mixture)
I also add a can of corn
and a package of puff pastry (I do this to be a bit fancier) OR as Paula Deen does, a package of pie crust.
Throw it all in an 8x8 or 9x9 brownie pan
Mix
Cover with pie crust and make holes, you can get as fancy as you want...Paula does lattice work as you would on a pie
Or
Cover with puff pastry (no holes)
You can egg wash the top, I definitely do with the puff pastry and then I put it in the oven at 350 until the pie crust is golden or the puff pastry is puffed and golden.
Wow...next Thanksgiving will be quite an adventure, thanks to you guys! And I love the idea of astronaut pancakes...very cool!
It amazes me how much we'll do in the name of competition--everything from deny ourselves food (to wait until we eat at home) to stab our friends in the back. I wonder why that is...
Myscha, I like your spin on competition when you're by yourself. It truly is a good feeling to beat the system or get something for nothing when you know that wasn't the original idea.
Thanks for chiming in, everyone!
Hey Julie,
Great Post!
I particularly liked "Being the quickest to have the answer is not necessarily a good characteristic." What a phenomenal suggestion.
All week long I've been resisting upgrading my Kitchenaid Artisan mixer to a Kitchenaid Professional. There's a great deal on Amazon and everything! But my credit card balances are yelling No no no!
Thanks for the story about your grandpa.
Thanks for this post—there are some great ideas here!
I wanted to chip in with my own idea for anyone who’s interested (I just had this for lunch, and it’s delicious):
Shred some turkey and set it aside (I used breast meat, but you can use whatever you want). Then heat up some pre-made marinara sauce and throw in some ground pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder (or just use homemade marinara sauce). When that’s hot, mix in some shredded mozzarella and the shredded turkey you set aside earlier. Serve over noodles or in a hamburger bun.
I LOVED this post! It really hit home and touched upon so many good points. I browsed online all afternoon, and after reading this, I didn't buy a single thing.
Glad to see we have Southerners/North Carolinians as readers and commenters!
we come, we go, breathe it in and out. open up with joy and let go with awareness of the interconnectivity existing with everything dominated all by the impermanance of this transient dream.
one love.
bdb
Nice to get advice from a local leader.
The popcorn situation reminds me of a time when every bag that I popped out of a particular box of popcorn burnt after only 1 minute, and none of the kernels popped. When I contacted them with the batch number, they looked into it and were able to fix an error on their processing line as a result. Not only did I get a refund, some extra popcorn, and a "thank you," but I was able to save some other folks the hassle of buying defective popcorn.
Thanks for the uplifting advice (reminder). We all know of the complaints ignored galore -- when the customer service rep/manager insists that "that..." (whatever we mention) has never happened before. I had a friend have an unusual problem with her new car, which should took to the dealership, where she was nearly shamed into thinking she was the problem; a few months later, there's a national recall!!
It's been awhile but I alerted a company (Guiltless Gourmet) about some stale chips; and I received a fresh bag and a bunch of coupons in the mail. Just last week, my son rejected some microwave popcorn because it didn't have the butter flavor it should have (he wasn't being ornery, I checked it and he was righ). I considered calling the manufacturer and/or retailer but didn't; you've inspired me though to follow up. It's helpful to the companies who do listen and now that I think of it, can be rewarding as well!
I love your post... of course, we have a variable income each month (sometimes way more than we need to live, sometimes zero...) so we have learned to live on almost nothing. As I am doing my morning chores each morning (gathering firewood, collecting eggs, preparing homemade dogfood with our surplus of rice and meats) I thank God that I am healthy enough to live a somewhat self-sustaining lifestyle. We are prepared to meet the worst with little to no adjustment on our part. And we like it this way.
Bless you, Philip!
LOL I like this post. I'm definately into the full contact frugality.
This country really breathes and lives on debt. I feel like we're pushed towards debt. Interest rates on savings accounts are always extremely low and advertisements everywhere are encouraging "buy buy buy". The so called "American Dream" is to have a mortgage. Guess what a mortgage is.. DEBT! It makes no sense to me.