I totally understand your concern. While most sweepstakes are a great way for marketers of the sponsoring companies to get you on their mailing lists, MOST will offer a little opt-in box to check (or uncheck -- read carefully) to stay off of their mailing lists. Some require that you be listed on their newsletter list, but it is easy to remove yourself later if you find it is something you are not interested in.
What is important is that you weigh the pros and cons for that particular contest. If you are entering to win a DVD worth $20, and you will be required to be on a daily newsletter mailing for a year to be entered... you may want to avoid that one. But if they are giving away at plasma screen tv, and just want to send you a one-time packet of information with coupons, etc... than I would go for it.
Those places in the malls and such with new cars can be a scam. This is why I tend to stick to online sweepstakes listed on such places as I mentioned in my article. They have very good moderators there, and if a sweeps looks spammy, they'll usually take it off the site immediately. They want only good, quality sweeps there.
While I have entered one or two sweeps in a year's time that generated unwanted phone calls for replacement window sales or truck-toppers, being direct usually solves the problem. A firm, but polite, "I was only interested in your sweepstakes, please take me off the calling list," will take care of that immediately. But this is a rare instance.
I tried this for a few months but never won anything and gave up. I always wondered if I had kept going would it have paid off eventually. It's inspiring to hear that it works for you. Thanks for the great info!
I have been put off about entering sweepstakes after hearing that most were just a way for marketers to get your contact information.
I can deal with setting up a spam account to deal with the email coming in. What is a concern is the phone and mailbox junk potential. I could not deal with every sales and telemarketing company calling me or a mail box jammed with junkmail. Is there a way to control this or am I just over reacting?
I also see sweepstakes at the grocery store and big box home improvement stores all the time for vehicles. But you never see anything posted about who won. I have wondered if any of these companies actually followed through on giving away the vehicle or not? Is there any way to tell? I always thought it would be foolish to give away my contact information when they were never really going to give away the car.
I did win a TV by accident once. Our bank started using Visa branded debit cards and we were put into the random drawing just for using our card. Still have the TV too.
I stock up on some school supplies such as Crayola crayons, markers and colored pencils, as well as glue sticks and scissors. Most of these things can be purchased for well under a dollar at back to school time. I give these to friends' children for birthday party gifts by putting them together with construction paper and whatever else I have on hand for a special "art kit." New crayons also make great stocking stuffers for Christmas.
You're absolutely right about making the most of what we already have. I love finding things that I'd forgotten I owned (like calligraphy pens!)
I make pottery as a hobby, and I like to make little stamps from cubes of clay, each with original designs. It's the kind of frugal "thing" that makes me happy. One, because I was responsible for creating it. Two, it doesn't cost much to create more, and three, there are so many tucked in little drawers, I use 4-5 favorites at a time, and months later rediscover those I had forgotten.
Thanks for explaining the value of glue sticks. They are always on the supply lists but sometimes dry out quickly (I'm sure keeping the caps on when not is use helps!) though I can see the handiness of not having glue spilled on desks, floors, hands, etc.
Staples had a good sale flyer in the paper yesterday, folders for 9 cents; pack of 10 pencils or pens, and pencil sharpeners for a nickel!!! Can't beat that!
Hi Julie. As a former classroom teacher, I'm with you on the stock up thing. Parents always seemed to know they needed to start the school year with supplies, but often forgot that things needed to be restocked from time to time. Setting some aside for the kids to come back with after Christmas break is a good idea.
A favorite for me for the older children is colored pencils instead of crayons. They can really give a more grown up feel to classroom projects. Glue sticks also make a teacher's life much easier than the traditional glue. Not that you don't still need the traditional stuff from time to time, but for general quick projects, the sticks rule. Much less messy.
well I believe it was the first poster that said NEVER use a circular motion. funny thing is, that is exactly how I do it, and at high speeds too. I first clean the disc by hand with Meguiar's #17 plastic cleaner to remove any debris or dirt etc. I then use Meguiar's #10 plastic polish, and I polish it using my dremel tool with a white polishing pad, just like the one's used on a bench grinder for polishing hard metals like chrome etc. The trick is to not let it get to dry or you will put burn marks on it. but if you are carefull and get the hang of it as I have, you can repair even deep scratches. If it is not actually cracked, you have a great chance of repairing it, and I have been doing so for several years with 100 percent success rate. You probably won't be suprised to know that I am a Certified Journeyman Mechanic by trade, and gearhead by heart. Very easy to get the hang of. I would say mine is a much different approach then any of the other's, and most likely the only one that can give you a disc that is completely scratch free not matter how many scratches it had, and a shine that is better than when new. What do you think about that on Mr. Paul Michael?
Since you're in the market for a water heater anyway, you may be interested in getting one of the more modern just-in-time water heaters, instead. I grew up with a giant 40-gallon tank, which limits you to the amount of heated water actually in the tank, as well as keeps your pilot light running year-round (wasting gas and energy, and being a major fire/explosion hazard). I recently moved to Japan, and what is commonplace over here is a self-contained unit, about 20cm x 50cm x 80cm, that has feeds for all of gas, water and electricity. It senses water flow, and turns on and heats the water AS YOU USE IT, through a radiator-type system inside. This has the following benefits:
* Uses less space.
* Provides an unlimited hot water supply.
* Uses less energy (only turns on when you use it), saving you money.
* Is not a fire hazard.
They sell these in the US, as well. I will *never* buy one of the large water tanks, now. These are spectacular in every way.
Hey Paul, I really enjoyed these videos thanks for making my day, and about the video with the creepy ending for God's sake dude put a warning or a note under it so people will be alerted.
I've been using the Seattle bus system for a few months now and I can say that we already have most of the things you mentioned in the article plus a few additions. The trip planning feature on the King County metro planner page is extremely handy for me, especially when I am on the go and use the Treo to find the next bus. There are also pages where you get real time locations of the buses - the coolest being a Java applet that shows you where the buses are at on a map. I do like the text message idea, but I don't think we have it. The bus trips in downtown area is free. Another thing I really like is the way buses work with the Flexcar service. Since I don't own a car, I use Flexcar as my rental company when I want to make short trips. Buses take you to Flexcar locations so you can get off the bus and drive off with the car you reserved.
Yep, it offended. Scared the scheisse out of me. Glad my kids were not hanging over my shoulder like they often do. They would have been in the the middle of a crying fit right about now.
MS Excel has a bi-weekly calculator; if you add in the maximum discretionary income that you can give up to the bi-weekly payments you are no doubt getting the biggest bang for your buck. Open a Heloc (if you can) with the bank you have your checking or mortgage with directly (it should cost just a few hundred if any $$ to open). If you need emergency funds or discretionary funds draw against the Heloc and then pay it down to 0 as soon as you can (because it has higher interest rates now). The people defending MMA's program are the people charging $3,500 and where their commission is between $1-2K. Their program would have only a marginal difference over an under $100 personal finance program such as MS Money or Quicken. Plan to automatically deduct your bi-weekly and additional set priciple payments from your pay check and then sticking with it is the key; the rest is a shell game and salesmanship. I know people that bought into this program and I hope they stick with it. They could have saved $3,400 ($3500-$100 for a personal finance program). It’s a tough time in the market place and everyone is looking for a better way and a fast buck. Selling your friends on a program that does little more that fill the linings of the up-lines pockets is a sure way to end up with nobody at your funeral.
Credentials: 28 years in RE sales and RE lending (owning my own investment company & mortgage branch); I have a BA Real Estate Finance, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ and have transacted well over $1 Billion in my career. As I said have a plan and sticking to it (with periodic review and adjustment); hard as it is these days, is the best advice anyone can give. If it does cost you $3,500 for a plan, I hope you stick with it! Brad G.
Well, here's the problem, the hubby and I don't do any of these non-frugal things like buying starbucks etc... Actually, we have an income of 15000 per year. Our only two luxuries are cable and internet. We both own late model cars, and oops we own the house, sorry no payments either. So this article wasn't helpful at all. BTW.... If you could convince my hubby that number 10 is something that he should be interested in... I'd be truly grateful. I'd even be willing to give up cable and the internet for that.
I'm not ready to move to urban life permanently, but I can definitely see the power of having it at least a few months a year or as a second home. We lived in the city for a while after we sold our home in Arizona. We stayed with a friend for a few months before my husband retired. She had stayed with us during a life transition, so it was sort of a reciprocation. Anyway, we got to realize very quickly why urban life, which we had always resisted before, was appealing to so many people. Over all, we love being in nature. However, it was so nice to walk as you were mentioning to great restaurants, a vet, Target, etc. And if you did have to drive, it was not nearly as far as it was when we were further out of town. I can really see both sides of the issue, and why people put effort into a specific urban location. Depending on your situation, it can be the best thing, financially.
I totally understand your concern. While most sweepstakes are a great way for marketers of the sponsoring companies to get you on their mailing lists, MOST will offer a little opt-in box to check (or uncheck -- read carefully) to stay off of their mailing lists. Some require that you be listed on their newsletter list, but it is easy to remove yourself later if you find it is something you are not interested in.
What is important is that you weigh the pros and cons for that particular contest. If you are entering to win a DVD worth $20, and you will be required to be on a daily newsletter mailing for a year to be entered... you may want to avoid that one. But if they are giving away at plasma screen tv, and just want to send you a one-time packet of information with coupons, etc... than I would go for it.
Those places in the malls and such with new cars can be a scam. This is why I tend to stick to online sweepstakes listed on such places as I mentioned in my article. They have very good moderators there, and if a sweeps looks spammy, they'll usually take it off the site immediately. They want only good, quality sweeps there.
While I have entered one or two sweeps in a year's time that generated unwanted phone calls for replacement window sales or truck-toppers, being direct usually solves the problem. A firm, but polite, "I was only interested in your sweepstakes, please take me off the calling list," will take care of that immediately. But this is a rare instance.
Hope this helps you!
I tried this for a few months but never won anything and gave up. I always wondered if I had kept going would it have paid off eventually. It's inspiring to hear that it works for you. Thanks for the great info!
I have been put off about entering sweepstakes after hearing that most were just a way for marketers to get your contact information.
I can deal with setting up a spam account to deal with the email coming in. What is a concern is the phone and mailbox junk potential. I could not deal with every sales and telemarketing company calling me or a mail box jammed with junkmail. Is there a way to control this or am I just over reacting?
I also see sweepstakes at the grocery store and big box home improvement stores all the time for vehicles. But you never see anything posted about who won. I have wondered if any of these companies actually followed through on giving away the vehicle or not? Is there any way to tell? I always thought it would be foolish to give away my contact information when they were never really going to give away the car.
I did win a TV by accident once. Our bank started using Visa branded debit cards and we were put into the random drawing just for using our card. Still have the TV too.
I stock up on some school supplies such as Crayola crayons, markers and colored pencils, as well as glue sticks and scissors. Most of these things can be purchased for well under a dollar at back to school time. I give these to friends' children for birthday party gifts by putting them together with construction paper and whatever else I have on hand for a special "art kit." New crayons also make great stocking stuffers for Christmas.
I tend to join every sweepstakes I come across too! Havent won anything yet though :(
You're absolutely right about making the most of what we already have. I love finding things that I'd forgotten I owned (like calligraphy pens!)
I make pottery as a hobby, and I like to make little stamps from cubes of clay, each with original designs. It's the kind of frugal "thing" that makes me happy. One, because I was responsible for creating it. Two, it doesn't cost much to create more, and three, there are so many tucked in little drawers, I use 4-5 favorites at a time, and months later rediscover those I had forgotten.
Thanks for explaining the value of glue sticks. They are always on the supply lists but sometimes dry out quickly (I'm sure keeping the caps on when not is use helps!) though I can see the handiness of not having glue spilled on desks, floors, hands, etc.
Staples had a good sale flyer in the paper yesterday, folders for 9 cents; pack of 10 pencils or pens, and pencil sharpeners for a nickel!!! Can't beat that!
I'm not surprised that other bus services are doing the same sorts of things. Good to know.
Thanks for the mention of Flexcar as well--I don't think Wise Bread has done a piece on Flexcar so far, but we definitely should.
if toothpaste doesn't work 1st time then clean it again and again and again. Took me five tries to get one heavily damaged dvd working
Hi Julie. As a former classroom teacher, I'm with you on the stock up thing. Parents always seemed to know they needed to start the school year with supplies, but often forgot that things needed to be restocked from time to time. Setting some aside for the kids to come back with after Christmas break is a good idea.
A favorite for me for the older children is colored pencils instead of crayons. They can really give a more grown up feel to classroom projects. Glue sticks also make a teacher's life much easier than the traditional glue. Not that you don't still need the traditional stuff from time to time, but for general quick projects, the sticks rule. Much less messy.
Displex from http://www.displex.com/ works better :)
well I believe it was the first poster that said NEVER use a circular motion. funny thing is, that is exactly how I do it, and at high speeds too. I first clean the disc by hand with Meguiar's #17 plastic cleaner to remove any debris or dirt etc. I then use Meguiar's #10 plastic polish, and I polish it using my dremel tool with a white polishing pad, just like the one's used on a bench grinder for polishing hard metals like chrome etc. The trick is to not let it get to dry or you will put burn marks on it. but if you are carefull and get the hang of it as I have, you can repair even deep scratches. If it is not actually cracked, you have a great chance of repairing it, and I have been doing so for several years with 100 percent success rate. You probably won't be suprised to know that I am a Certified Journeyman Mechanic by trade, and gearhead by heart. Very easy to get the hang of. I would say mine is a much different approach then any of the other's, and most likely the only one that can give you a disc that is completely scratch free not matter how many scratches it had, and a shine that is better than when new. What do you think about that on Mr. Paul Michael?
Since you're in the market for a water heater anyway, you may be interested in getting one of the more modern just-in-time water heaters, instead. I grew up with a giant 40-gallon tank, which limits you to the amount of heated water actually in the tank, as well as keeps your pilot light running year-round (wasting gas and energy, and being a major fire/explosion hazard). I recently moved to Japan, and what is commonplace over here is a self-contained unit, about 20cm x 50cm x 80cm, that has feeds for all of gas, water and electricity. It senses water flow, and turns on and heats the water AS YOU USE IT, through a radiator-type system inside. This has the following benefits:
* Uses less space.
* Provides an unlimited hot water supply.
* Uses less energy (only turns on when you use it), saving you money.
* Is not a fire hazard.
They sell these in the US, as well. I will *never* buy one of the large water tanks, now. These are spectacular in every way.
Thank you for the shower tips, though :-)
That video rules, I dont get scared by screamers anymore, Its excellect to see people get the lives scared out of them!
Here's 2 of the best examples of screamers working on people....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rx7aEj7T69w
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t3av2VZl97c
The Second Being The Best!
Hey Paul, I really enjoyed these videos thanks for making my day, and about the video with the creepy ending for God's sake dude put a warning or a note under it so people will be alerted.
I've been using the Seattle bus system for a few months now and I can say that we already have most of the things you mentioned in the article plus a few additions. The trip planning feature on the King County metro planner page is extremely handy for me, especially when I am on the go and use the Treo to find the next bus. There are also pages where you get real time locations of the buses - the coolest being a Java applet that shows you where the buses are at on a map. I do like the text message idea, but I don't think we have it. The bus trips in downtown area is free. Another thing I really like is the way buses work with the Flexcar service. Since I don't own a car, I use Flexcar as my rental company when I want to make short trips. Buses take you to Flexcar locations so you can get off the bus and drive off with the car you reserved.
Never tried it myself, but I've heard car waxes can work, since they are made to hide light scratches on car paint finishes.
What store do you work at
Dude, I don't know what you are talking about. In the US these would go over well with people who like to have fun. They aren't conning anyone at all.
Yep, it offended. Scared the scheisse out of me. Glad my kids were not hanging over my shoulder like they often do. They would have been in the the middle of a crying fit right about now.
MS Excel has a bi-weekly calculator; if you add in the maximum discretionary income that you can give up to the bi-weekly payments you are no doubt getting the biggest bang for your buck. Open a Heloc (if you can) with the bank you have your checking or mortgage with directly (it should cost just a few hundred if any $$ to open). If you need emergency funds or discretionary funds draw against the Heloc and then pay it down to 0 as soon as you can (because it has higher interest rates now). The people defending MMA's program are the people charging $3,500 and where their commission is between $1-2K. Their program would have only a marginal difference over an under $100 personal finance program such as MS Money or Quicken. Plan to automatically deduct your bi-weekly and additional set priciple payments from your pay check and then sticking with it is the key; the rest is a shell game and salesmanship. I know people that bought into this program and I hope they stick with it. They could have saved $3,400 ($3500-$100 for a personal finance program). It’s a tough time in the market place and everyone is looking for a better way and a fast buck. Selling your friends on a program that does little more that fill the linings of the up-lines pockets is a sure way to end up with nobody at your funeral.
Credentials: 28 years in RE sales and RE lending (owning my own investment company & mortgage branch); I have a BA Real Estate Finance, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ and have transacted well over $1 Billion in my career. As I said have a plan and sticking to it (with periodic review and adjustment); hard as it is these days, is the best advice anyone can give. If it does cost you $3,500 for a plan, I hope you stick with it! Brad G.
Well, here's the problem, the hubby and I don't do any of these non-frugal things like buying starbucks etc... Actually, we have an income of 15000 per year. Our only two luxuries are cable and internet. We both own late model cars, and oops we own the house, sorry no payments either. So this article wasn't helpful at all. BTW.... If you could convince my hubby that number 10 is something that he should be interested in... I'd be truly grateful. I'd even be willing to give up cable and the internet for that.
Hi Phillip.
I'm not ready to move to urban life permanently, but I can definitely see the power of having it at least a few months a year or as a second home. We lived in the city for a while after we sold our home in Arizona. We stayed with a friend for a few months before my husband retired. She had stayed with us during a life transition, so it was sort of a reciprocation. Anyway, we got to realize very quickly why urban life, which we had always resisted before, was appealing to so many people. Over all, we love being in nature. However, it was so nice to walk as you were mentioning to great restaurants, a vet, Target, etc. And if you did have to drive, it was not nearly as far as it was when we were further out of town. I can really see both sides of the issue, and why people put effort into a specific urban location. Depending on your situation, it can be the best thing, financially.
I didn't see the last few seconds of the video, I figured I had got the jist. I will happily take it down if it offends anyone.