Yea! Someone else has sense! This is the proven, tried-and-true ultimate method. My parents used it with my brothers and I, I used it with my children, and it works! Having - and teaching - respect for your possessions definitely helps take care of them. Of course, accidents will happen, but they should be few and very far between. In that case - thanks for the tips!
Oh, man. Paul, you just made my day with that last video. You'd think that I'd know how to shut these things down, but I was using a totally differnet method that didn't give me access to all of the different processes that run at start-up. Thanks!
Andrea, were you looking in my windows? Great post and one that I personally needed to read. The guest who commented on "Little House on the Prarie" reminded me of an ex-boyfriend who came from a country that was very poor into a life that was much better. He bought a Swatch watch. I have had many a Swatch in my life,hell I wore them in my hair like a jackass in 10th grade. As I write, the ones I still have are all curled up in my jewlery box. But he, every night when he took off his watch he put it right back in the box it came from. Initially I thought he was just anal retentive, but then I realized along the way that he valued his stuff way more than anyone I had ever encountered.
I totally get that same thing. It's interesting to think that stuff is worth less now than it was 100 years ago. It's not just a product of inflation, is it?
I used to read the Little House on the Prairie books. In one really depressing volume, the author described a long and agonizing winter on the prairie in which her family barely pulled through. At the end, her father bought her an embriodery kit, complete with new silk thread. Laura runs her fingers over the threads and the roughness of her skin catches on the silk. She puts the kit away to prevent herself from ruining it.
I remember thinking at the time, "What's the big damn deal? It's just a sewing kit."
While I'd never want to live like a pioneer, I almost wish that smal gifts like that could carry the same WEIGHT that they used to, you know? Back then, it was something to treasure and something to use. Now, it seems so insignificant.
My S.O. is horribly caught up in stuff. He is not a hoarder but he has those tendencies and can't let things go, even when he can't justify it's purpose. He also had a terrible time with purchases. He got very emotionally caught up in buying things and not being able to buy something was some huge blow and loss, like he was being denied something vital. It took me years to figure out why he was so fixated on all of this. He grew up with very limited finances and some pretty hard times in his family. It was like this was some sort of compensation for not having things when he was young and some sort of feeling that he was now owed all this "stuff" as an adult.
My desire to change my need for stuff and a desire for more simplicity has helped him work through much of that. He still sees things that are cool, but he gets much less wrapped up personally in the item and he is starting to see some merit in shunning all the marketing.
I think many people who are really struggling with tons of junk or big issues with buying things have some deeper issue at play.
I thought someone would mention Armor All. Not abrasive though. I use that on my motorcycle windshield and face shield. It gets rid of the haze. Maybe use it as a follow up to these methods. I suspect that anything just slightly abrasive would work. Is it possible that boiling would slightly reflow the plastic near the scratches?
Great tips. On the kid thing though, ever heard of teaching them NO followed with the reason - then disipline if necessary? Our grandkids come over. I have high end stereo components on the floor. My wife has ceramics on lower shelves. They never touch them, because they are taught not to. When we had ours, my mother said "I'll have to move everything up out of reach" No you won't. They will be taught the rules. Try it. They will respect you MUCH more. BTW, they were also taught that food stays in the kitchen.
My husband and I have been talking about this in the past few days. He has a job that he loves and could see himself staying in the same company for a long time, but doesn't want to stagnate and loose his employability there. Especially since the average job lasts 2 1/2 year now.
I wanted to let you know that if you bring in certain brands of used ink cartridges to Staples, including HP, you get a $3 off certificate. You can use up to 3 of these in one transaction as long as the total amount before taxes exceeds the certificate amount. So, you can use it to get up to $9 off a new ink cartridge or off a bunch of those school supplies that are currently on sale. It's a great deal! I just got some plastic bins last week this way. Of course, there are certain rules, brands, how many in a day, so check their website. But it's a very good deal and you can hit up your friends and family for their ink cartridges too!
I haven't won anything humongus, but I've had good luck with entering contests in women's magazines. I just recently got a huge box of eye & lip pencils & I've won a purse in the past.
I think most reputable companies aren't going to spam you, just make sure you opt-out. By using my "spam" address though, I could care less.
Linsey, thanks for the post. Most of my friends don't know that I have been an off and on sweepstaker for the past ten years. It seems too quirky to explain. But I have won anything from movie tickets, CD's, to a Sealy Mattress and Super Bowl tickets.
It is a fun hobby as you can win things that you would not be able to afford at face value.
I have not found that I have received any extra junk mail or spam because of my hobby.
I owned a shop a gave away front-row seats a Rolling Stones concert and it was great fun to give something like that away!
The key words here are Sub Standard!
What happened to all of the Safety boards and Agencies that are supposed to protect the citizens of the USA?
Did they fall off the the end of the earth? or is it some kind of conspiracy hatched by the federal government and the importers to allow unfettered capitalism and glut at the expense of the well-being of its citizens?
I for one avoid all Chineese made products if possible.
Operative words, if possible. I do love Chineese food although I do hold the Breaded Chicken Balls in High Suspicion. You never know what exactly is in those breaded balls, do you? It could be some poor creatures b**ls or other parts, not necessarily Chicken!
Don't hate the Playa, the Chineese, hate the game, American capitalism.
It is up to the American Government to protect its citizens not the Chineese.
The Chineese are only playing the game created by American capitalism.
How ironic it is that our Capitalist country puts the safety of all its citizens in the hands of a socialist communist country!!
It's never been introduced to the body of my car, but I keep a bottle of Turtle Wax tucked away in my media cabinet just for CD's and DVD's. I have a couple CD's that are very old and look like they've been dragged along the street for a while. Turtle Wax will generally allow me to play the damaged discs for about 4 - 6 months before another application is required (plenty of time to rip and re-burn them).
great tools - chewing gum didn't help at all (so I agree with Paul Michael).
The first and the second video are creepy to listen to. As a foreign language, I couldn't understand all of this video. Both dudes (or was it the same person?) have a hard accident (where are they from? Texas? Australia?)
The key to most of my winning has come from those sweeps with the best odds, so they usually couldn't be easily found with a google search. Sweeps run by lesser-known or independent organizations often run shorter sweeps than those by the corporate giants. The shorter the entry period, the better your odds, since everyone seems to know about those that run almost a year and are heavily advertised across the nation.
I have seen some stores give away cars (Menards, for instance) and they are always really good about advertising the last month's winner. Sweeps sponsors should make it easy for you to find out the winner via a winner's list or link.
And while you can find many sweeps and winner's lists on your own, don't waste too much time. A forum or user-run sweeps site or newsletter uses everyone's sweepstakes finds to compile into one place to look. Very easy. You can search for more user sites by doing a google search. Just beware of spammy sites, and if you have questions, I could tell you my experience (I've used just about all of them in the past 10 years!)
I had thought about using a GrandCentral phone number as well, that way if I can control incoming phone calls if I start getting telemarketer calls from one of the entries.
I see the car sweepstakes at the mall and avoid them. What about the ones usually sponsored by the grocery store or big box stores. I am assuming those are probably safer if they are officially sponsored by the store?
I had also thought about setting up a seperate igoogle page with links or rss feeds to sweepstakes related sites and daily entries like HGTV runs.
Your article saved me a gazillion words.. Thanks! Also, I have used sweep software, but found it to be a pain. I usually just use either the tools included in the memberships on some sites, or I have just gone with a system of entering the one-time entries on the day they are listed, the dailies any time I want, and then everything I missed the day before it ends.
Also, there is some software that actually enters for you, and this is considered a no-no, so check the fine print on this type of thing....
Hilarious! That's awesome. That second video is a classic. Knowing that it was going to be creepier at the end made it even creepier for the first minute.
Yea! Someone else has sense! This is the proven, tried-and-true ultimate method. My parents used it with my brothers and I, I used it with my children, and it works! Having - and teaching - respect for your possessions definitely helps take care of them. Of course, accidents will happen, but they should be few and very far between. In that case - thanks for the tips!
then the whole post was worthwhile :-)
Oh, man. Paul, you just made my day with that last video. You'd think that I'd know how to shut these things down, but I was using a totally differnet method that didn't give me access to all of the different processes that run at start-up. Thanks!
Andrea, were you looking in my windows? Great post and one that I personally needed to read. The guest who commented on "Little House on the Prarie" reminded me of an ex-boyfriend who came from a country that was very poor into a life that was much better. He bought a Swatch watch. I have had many a Swatch in my life,hell I wore them in my hair like a jackass in 10th grade. As I write, the ones I still have are all curled up in my jewlery box. But he, every night when he took off his watch he put it right back in the box it came from. Initially I thought he was just anal retentive, but then I realized along the way that he valued his stuff way more than anyone I had ever encountered.
where can i find it now?
Jettisoning the clutter and "stuff" is something I strive towards but never quite... accomplish.
I totally get that same thing. It's interesting to think that stuff is worth less now than it was 100 years ago. It's not just a product of inflation, is it?
I used to read the Little House on the Prairie books. In one really depressing volume, the author described a long and agonizing winter on the prairie in which her family barely pulled through. At the end, her father bought her an embriodery kit, complete with new silk thread. Laura runs her fingers over the threads and the roughness of her skin catches on the silk. She puts the kit away to prevent herself from ruining it.
I remember thinking at the time, "What's the big damn deal? It's just a sewing kit."
While I'd never want to live like a pioneer, I almost wish that smal gifts like that could carry the same WEIGHT that they used to, you know? Back then, it was something to treasure and something to use. Now, it seems so insignificant.
My S.O. is horribly caught up in stuff. He is not a hoarder but he has those tendencies and can't let things go, even when he can't justify it's purpose. He also had a terrible time with purchases. He got very emotionally caught up in buying things and not being able to buy something was some huge blow and loss, like he was being denied something vital. It took me years to figure out why he was so fixated on all of this. He grew up with very limited finances and some pretty hard times in his family. It was like this was some sort of compensation for not having things when he was young and some sort of feeling that he was now owed all this "stuff" as an adult.
My desire to change my need for stuff and a desire for more simplicity has helped him work through much of that. He still sees things that are cool, but he gets much less wrapped up personally in the item and he is starting to see some merit in shunning all the marketing.
I think many people who are really struggling with tons of junk or big issues with buying things have some deeper issue at play.
I thought someone would mention Armor All. Not abrasive though. I use that on my motorcycle windshield and face shield. It gets rid of the haze. Maybe use it as a follow up to these methods. I suspect that anything just slightly abrasive would work. Is it possible that boiling would slightly reflow the plastic near the scratches?
Great tips. On the kid thing though, ever heard of teaching them NO followed with the reason - then disipline if necessary? Our grandkids come over. I have high end stereo components on the floor. My wife has ceramics on lower shelves. They never touch them, because they are taught not to. When we had ours, my mother said "I'll have to move everything up out of reach" No you won't. They will be taught the rules. Try it. They will respect you MUCH more. BTW, they were also taught that food stays in the kitchen.
My husband and I have been talking about this in the past few days. He has a job that he loves and could see himself staying in the same company for a long time, but doesn't want to stagnate and loose his employability there. Especially since the average job lasts 2 1/2 year now.
Hi,
I wanted to let you know that if you bring in certain brands of used ink cartridges to Staples, including HP, you get a $3 off certificate. You can use up to 3 of these in one transaction as long as the total amount before taxes exceeds the certificate amount. So, you can use it to get up to $9 off a new ink cartridge or off a bunch of those school supplies that are currently on sale. It's a great deal! I just got some plastic bins last week this way. Of course, there are certain rules, brands, how many in a day, so check their website. But it's a very good deal and you can hit up your friends and family for their ink cartridges too!
Did you see the hot costumes that Party City’s putting out this Halloween?
They’re doing a sneak peek online fashion show today! Check out this website http://www.partycitydev.com/costumes/home.html
They’re also giving away discount coupons and a trip to Vegas!!
I haven't won anything humongus, but I've had good luck with entering contests in women's magazines. I just recently got a huge box of eye & lip pencils & I've won a purse in the past.
I think most reputable companies aren't going to spam you, just make sure you opt-out. By using my "spam" address though, I could care less.
Linsey, thanks for the post. Most of my friends don't know that I have been an off and on sweepstaker for the past ten years. It seems too quirky to explain. But I have won anything from movie tickets, CD's, to a Sealy Mattress and Super Bowl tickets.
It is a fun hobby as you can win things that you would not be able to afford at face value.
I have not found that I have received any extra junk mail or spam because of my hobby.
I owned a shop a gave away front-row seats a Rolling Stones concert and it was great fun to give something like that away!
The key words here are Sub Standard!
What happened to all of the Safety boards and Agencies that are supposed to protect the citizens of the USA?
Did they fall off the the end of the earth? or is it some kind of conspiracy hatched by the federal government and the importers to allow unfettered capitalism and glut at the expense of the well-being of its citizens?
I for one avoid all Chineese made products if possible.
Operative words, if possible. I do love Chineese food although I do hold the Breaded Chicken Balls in High Suspicion. You never know what exactly is in those breaded balls, do you? It could be some poor creatures b**ls or other parts, not necessarily Chicken!
Don't hate the Playa, the Chineese, hate the game, American capitalism.
It is up to the American Government to protect its citizens not the Chineese.
The Chineese are only playing the game created by American capitalism.
How ironic it is that our Capitalist country puts the safety of all its citizens in the hands of a socialist communist country!!
What say you to that?
I THINK I WOULD RATHER USE THE DOME LIGHT BULB AND NOT THE LEAD IN MY PENCIL. SHOULD I JUST HUFF THE LEAD FUMES AS IT BURNS TOO.
It's never been introduced to the body of my car, but I keep a bottle of Turtle Wax tucked away in my media cabinet just for CD's and DVD's. I have a couple CD's that are very old and look like they've been dragged along the street for a while. Turtle Wax will generally allow me to play the damaged discs for about 4 - 6 months before another application is required (plenty of time to rip and re-burn them).
great tools - chewing gum didn't help at all (so I agree with Paul Michael).
The first and the second video are creepy to listen to. As a foreign language, I couldn't understand all of this video. Both dudes (or was it the same person?) have a hard accident (where are they from? Texas? Australia?)
The key to most of my winning has come from those sweeps with the best odds, so they usually couldn't be easily found with a google search. Sweeps run by lesser-known or independent organizations often run shorter sweeps than those by the corporate giants. The shorter the entry period, the better your odds, since everyone seems to know about those that run almost a year and are heavily advertised across the nation.
I have seen some stores give away cars (Menards, for instance) and they are always really good about advertising the last month's winner. Sweeps sponsors should make it easy for you to find out the winner via a winner's list or link.
And while you can find many sweeps and winner's lists on your own, don't waste too much time. A forum or user-run sweeps site or newsletter uses everyone's sweepstakes finds to compile into one place to look. Very easy. You can search for more user sites by doing a google search. Just beware of spammy sites, and if you have questions, I could tell you my experience (I've used just about all of them in the past 10 years!)
I had thought about using a GrandCentral phone number as well, that way if I can control incoming phone calls if I start getting telemarketer calls from one of the entries.
I see the car sweepstakes at the mall and avoid them. What about the ones usually sponsored by the grocery store or big box stores. I am assuming those are probably safer if they are officially sponsored by the store?
I had also thought about setting up a seperate igoogle page with links or rss feeds to sweepstakes related sites and daily entries like HGTV runs.
I either don't get it all done, or I do it all very messily... LOL
Thanks for the compliment!
Your article saved me a gazillion words.. Thanks! Also, I have used sweep software, but found it to be a pain. I usually just use either the tools included in the memberships on some sites, or I have just gone with a system of entering the one-time entries on the day they are listed, the dailies any time I want, and then everything I missed the day before it ends.
Also, there is some software that actually enters for you, and this is considered a no-no, so check the fine print on this type of thing....
Hilarious! That's awesome. That second video is a classic. Knowing that it was going to be creepier at the end made it even creepier for the first minute.
Linsey it is Jessica O, technical difficulties here, but I just wanted to say this is a great post!
One question, do you use any Sweeps tracking software? I found one site, but it seemed more of a pain than a benefit.
For those who are concerned about spam/privacy
I wrote this article about free stuff, but I touch on the privacy issue & have a few tips