The old-school, non-scoopable litter is fantastic on ice. (You mention "traction" which will also include mud....) if I'm walking a short distance in icy weather, I will carry some to sprinkle as I walk. Yes, I know I look stupid - and I don't break a leg, falling, either.
I've kept the largest bag I can carry in the trunk in case I get stuck in the mud OR in snow or ice.
Again: you don't want scoopable or flushable. You want the stuff that goes for $6 for a 50 lb bag. (I pay $2 for the 10-lb, which is the most I can lift - if I didn't keep first aid supplies in the trunk, though, I'd put a larger bag in a tub and scoop what I needed.) GENERIC. UNSCENTED.
This hint, and those shoe traction thingies, were the best gifts I gave to a friend who'd moved North from Southern California (she'd never driven in snow before - like THAT).
First find out if your community has a paint recycling facility. If not, mix some clumping litter into leftover latex or acrylic paint and the whole mess will harden overnight enabling easy disposal into trash. (I think about 1 cup per half gallon...)
I have some old debt from medical expenses and about six months ago I was going to superhuman efforts to pay it off-- no luxuries, no movies, no books, no eating out, second guessing every cent I paid out. It was exhausting. Yes, I paid off a nice percentage of the debt over the 5 months I lived this way, but I got little satisfaction because I was so weary and anxious otherwise.
I finally came up with this solution: I went over my budget (yet again) and budgeted in some luxuries (a book or movie here and there, a small yarn allowance, and so forth) that I thought were reasonable while at the same time budgeting a set amount to pay down the debt. I feel like I'm making progress on the debt, but I'm not feeling utterly deprived doing it either.
Great article! I grew up eating home grown carrots. Yummy! The thing with carrots is that they grow in 2 sections. If you look at the end after you cut it, you see a core in the middle, and the 'meat' around the core. Similar to the rings in a tree. If you nibble the 'meat' off the core it is very sweet and tasty and you're left with a hard, sometimes stringy, slightly bitter core. If you just bite and chew, you don't really notice the difference. Of course, the larger the carrot grows, the bigger (and tougher) the core. The reason those 'baby' carrots are tasteless is because they're mostly or all core! All the good stuff is removed in the processing. This is what I explained to my son last week when I told him why we don't buy the easy baby carrots. Thank you for the added reason of less beta carotene!
I made the switch from Estee Lauder to Revlon a couple of years ago. I buy foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush - that is it. While lipsticks and eyeshadows come in so many beautiful shades, I have never been able to apply them right so I just go without. I would go without foundation except I have very dry patchy skin that is very uneven in tone. Going from Estee to Revlon was a big step for me due to my dry skin. I tried several drug store foundations before finding that Revlon Color Stay provides the same coverage as Estee at less than half the cost. The same with hair dye. I used to pay $60+ to have my hair colored professionally. Now, I buy the color and have my mom or sister apply it. Nothing removes makeup like good old fashioned cold cream. I skip Ponds and buy Walgreens - I get twice the amount for half the price. The same with Dove soap. My grandmother has used it almost her entire life, and her skin is amazing. I use Walgreens version of Dove and it is wonderful.
I got laid off, after experiences a number of these things (and I was the general manager).... I remember for the prior 12 months I was coaching someone else on their career issues and I was not following my own advice.
Then, I got laid off... started a job search with an incredible resume and.... hardly got an interview. It was very, very discouraging.
No matter how great or poor the company is doing, whether you are worried about becoming Employee of the month, getting laid off, or getting fired, you should ALWAYS be preparing.
Having an up-to-date resume is one thing. But what about regular networking ("dig your well before you're thirsty")? How about personal branding? There are other things to consider when creating your own job security - I guarantee your employer won't do it for you.
Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
:: self-serve career management ::
Funny that I've been struggling with this over the last several months. I've been in credit card debt for almost a year, mostly because I keep finding other things to spend money on, not just bills. I actually won't pay any of my bills with my credit card--only my checking account. But recently, I've found myself in a place where I feel trapped, and I've been thinking about charging a trip to Montreal to my credit card. Ironic that your post would come when it does.
It's a terrible internal fight. Best case scenario is that I pay off my debt and at the same time, concentrate on my business and bringing in income. Then I could take my trip. In the meantime, I tend to satisfy my desire to travel and "free" myself of my situation by walks down to the river in my city, or hour long drives to neighboring areas, where I can explore and feel like I'm out and about without spending a ton of money (yes, gas is always an expense).
Going out with friends is always an option, because a club soda with lime doesn't cost more than a couple of bucks, and it's free re-fills. The movies? Matinee everytime. Food for the house? When what I'm buying can compliment something I already have in the fridge. It's entirely possible. It's just a matter of finding out what you can live with, or without.
Maybe my post isn't much help as that it's ambiguous at best. It's up to the individual to choose what's valid to spend money on. But nobody ever feels entirely free when they're in debt. There's always that payment you could make, instead of that next beer at the bar.
With that much demand (and profit), are they still made from only waste carrots or have we moved to efficiently feeding easy to mechanically process (consistent shape) carrots into the baby-making machines?
Thank you, Linsey, for adding that your family has been involved in wild animal rescue, and that Wisebread does not advocate keeping wild animals as pets.
I did want to reply to your "Furthermore, if you subscribe to the rule that pets should never originate from descendants of wild animals, than you cannot own any birds, fish, ferrets, lizards, frogs, snails, or bugs either." which, I believe, was in response to my comment.
I have NEVER kept any of those as pets, for the very reason you cite: I subscribe to the rule that pets should never originate from descendants of wild animals. The closest I've ever come is living on property that my parents "own" which is bordered by a salt marsh, so frogs and turtles roam regularly during the summer months. We never caged any of them, nor did we ever purchase these, or other wild animals (bred in captivity or otherwise) for pets. I am not trained or equipped to care for a wild animal.
A financial/money-saving site like Wisebread, I would have thought, would be more familiar with supply-and-demand, in response to "...can be purchased at any of your Big Box pet supply megafranchises." As for "I personally don't understand how (even though the originating species may have come from the wild) buying a pet that is hundreds of generations from ever seeing the wild is wrong." I again, cite supply-and-demand, and wonder if caged animals can ever be truly happy. I am not trained or equipped to care for a wild animal and would never make the attempt unless I were so trained and could care for the animal in a life-size habitat (i.e. preserve).
If any of these animals can, indeed, be rescued, I'd support it even if I wouldn't do it myself. I'd hope, though, that the habitat created would be large and close to natural - and that is something I did NOT see in the original article.
(My cat, rescued from a no-kill shelter, is given a healthy diet, and has a veterinarian who is well-versed in my cat's species. He doesn't roam outside, much as he'd like to, because cars are not part of his original habitat but they remain a regular threat to him. His habitat, the entire house except for one bedroom that's off-limits, isn't as big as it would be in the wild, but he is a cat who constantly purrs and "performs," and except when he's at the aforementioned vet, he's a pretty happy boy. I've given him a better life than he had in the cage at the shelter.)
Well, I generally don't want to buy pets from pet stores. There's something inherently sad, at least for me, in seeing all those betas lined up in tiny cups with nothing to see or so but float sadly, looking at the other betas. I got really freaked out at a craft store upon finding that they were selling frogs as decorative accents for lucky bamboo arrangements.
That said, Lindsey has advocated for the adoption of hedgehogs and other pets from shelters in this thread. You can find all kinds of animals that needs homes, from hamsters to iguanas, by going to Petfinder. Also, keep in mind that not everyone can have a cat or a dog. Some people have allergies. Some people don't have the time. Some people live in apartment complexes that don't allow cats and dogs.
[I'm going to take a moment to point out something that I feel needs saying: just because one blogger says something on this web site doesn't mean that it's endorsed by the entire slate of bloggers. So far, no one (especially Lindsey) has written anything that I personally object to on Wise Bread, but there may come a time when someone posts something that other writers may politely disagree with. Don't assume that one writer's opinion speaks for everyone. "Wise Bread advice" does not come from a single source - we're a diverse group of writers from a wide range of backgrounds.]
With that out of the way, I still stand behind Lindsey's post here. She's not advocating anything morally objectionable.
Oh, and BTW, hissing cockroaches are awesome. I can't stand bugs, but they are pretty nifty.
While I have been involved in the rescuing and releasing of wild animals during my childhood (my mother was a licensed Animal Rehab worker), I have never ever kept a wild animal as a pet. Nor do I, or Wisebread for that matter, advocate keeping wild animals as pets.
All of the animals mentioned in my article (with the exception of the hedgehog) can be purchased at any of your Big Box pet supply megafranchises. I personally don't understand how (even though the originating species may have come from the wild) buying a pet that is hundreds of generations from ever seeing the wild is wrong.
Additionally, the domestic cat is nothing more than a slight variation of its species : Felis silvestris, libyca group (or better known as an African wildcat.)
I agree that it is dangerous to keep wild animals as pets. Exotic or unique breeds should not be confused with "wild" animals. Furthermore, if you subscribe to the rule that pets should never originate from descendants of wild animals, than you cannot own any birds, fish, ferrets, lizards, frogs, snails, or bugs either.
I love dogs and cats, too. But as far as I know, (and correct me if I'm wrong) Sea Monkeys are the only pets without any direct lineage to "wild" animals.
Well, you're not just comparing "baby carrots vs. regular carrots" here. There are three factors involved: 1) the carrots you like are not processed, 2) the carrots you like are not the same variety (as you pointed out in the update), and 3) the carrots you like are from a farmers market rather than a supermarket, where the quality is usually much better. I'd argue that the third factor could be more important than the other two.
It seems like supermarket produce has really gone to the birds in the last 5 or 10 years. It's amazing to me how completely flavorless everything is there. Particularly strawberries, cucumber, and watermelon. Blech.
The truth is, if you're doing something you love, you soon get very good at it. If you're doing something you dislike or feel lukewarm about, your best efforts are--at the max--lukewarm.
The world's a big place, and consequently just about everything is marketable to someone, somewhere. People recognize quality, and when employers, clients, or customers see that you are providing a top-of-the-line service or product, they're willing to pay for it. You may take a little longer to earn a great living doing what you love than to pay off the student loans and put bread on the table by teaching, but eventually you'll find you'll earn more and be happier human beings when you follow your bliss.
BTW, I taught in a university for 10 years before returning to a managing editor's job (whose starting pay was 10 grand more than I earned at the assoc. professor pay level). If you're good at it--and apparently I was, because students turned in rave reviews and I never received an annual dean's evaluation below the highest numerical ranking--you work like an animal, put in 12- to 18-hour days seven days a week, work unpaid over the summer, apply management and organizational skills that would put you in upper-midlevel corporate management, and you earn about what the best-paid members of the custodial staff earn. Now I do what I like to do (not that I didn't "like" teaching--I just didn't care for the working conditions & pay). I rarely work more than 9 or 10 hours a day, never work on weekends, and presently earn $20,000 more than I made while teaching.
Do what you want to do, not what you think you "have" to do!
I'm with the 'its better to decorate it yourself' crowd as everyone else seems to decorate in my personal least favourite colours, brown and cream.
I'm actually in the process of decorating my first ever house (definitely only new to me - it was built in 1910) and I'm trying not to make too many poor decisions.
surely homes are priced according to location,size, desirability and decor. what would it have cost you to buy a home with a high quality of decor in the same neighbourhoood with the same amount of area and style of house. i reckon it would have cost you more to the tune of atleast half the money you spent on revamping your current house.
but then the decor may not have been to your taste. to me as long as the neighbourhood, size and general aesthetics of the house are sound, you are probably better off buying a house which is not revamped newly. if you do that you pay a premium for someone else revamping the house and it may not be to your taste. better to get somewhere liveable and when you have lived there for a few months you have a better feel for how you want the house to be and function.
unless of course you find a place which is exactly what you want. then you might as well negotiate the best price for it
I believe the Aquasana filter is a more ecologically viable alternative to Brita. From what I understand (and I haven't tried it yet; I just know what the company rep told me) the Aquasana cartridge is wrapped in a thin film and has 2 plastic end caps, but the bulk of it is activated carbon that will biodegrade. I think they are made with much less plastic than Brita filters.
Brita filters are not recyclable in the U.S., although they are in Europe. When I questioned a Brita rep, I was told that the filters are made using a different technology in Europe. I'm not sure I buy that, but it's enough to make me want to stop buying the cartridges.
By the way, I found your site when I was trying to research what could be the difference between the different Brita filters. I still don't know. I do know that I am trying to eliminate as much plastic waste from my life as possible. I've published my correspondence with Brita on my web site: http://www.fakeplasticfish.com.
I'm a little surprised at this article. I'm a new subscriber, but had found Wisebread's advice sound - until now.
With all the cats and dogs in shelters, I am amazed that Wisebread has chosen to advocate wild animals as an ALTERNATIVE to domesticated animals. While I'm trying to fall on the side of "animal advocate" and not "animal nut," I'm utterly shocked that a common sense site such as this would advocate the breeding of wild animals in captivity OR the capturing of said animals from the wild.
The market for wild animals exists only as long as we feed into it. I've only had pets* from friends or shelters, and never from breeding mills. As cool as I think wild animals are, I can't be cruel enough to take one from its natural habitat and move it from the great outdoors to a cage the size of my computer desk.
Logic aside, my heart would feel guilty committing such an act. Really, I expected better.
===
*I've heard cats and dogs referred to as "companion animals." While my cat is my pet, I'm not convinced that he doesn't think that I am HIS pet.
For the people that are bashing the English for their gullibility, the same goes for Americans. Diet pills are a multi billion dollar industry in America, and as we can see they just plain do not work. Millions of Americans are tricked into believing their advertisements.
Create a homepage on http://www.infositepage.com and earn money from visitors clicking adds on your homepage. The adds are automatically placed on your site and you get the earnings through a PayPal payment.
I have a Vespa with a dent in the legshield. I also have a smaller dent in the door of my subaru. The gauge of sheet metal on the Vespa is much thicker than the subaru. I'll try dry ice on both and see what happens.
To keep it legal, I believe you have to say that the coupon is free but that they are paying you for your time to find the coupon. I believe reselling the coupon itself is illegal.
The old-school, non-scoopable litter is fantastic on ice. (You mention "traction" which will also include mud....) if I'm walking a short distance in icy weather, I will carry some to sprinkle as I walk. Yes, I know I look stupid - and I don't break a leg, falling, either.
I've kept the largest bag I can carry in the trunk in case I get stuck in the mud OR in snow or ice.
Again: you don't want scoopable or flushable. You want the stuff that goes for $6 for a 50 lb bag. (I pay $2 for the 10-lb, which is the most I can lift - if I didn't keep first aid supplies in the trunk, though, I'd put a larger bag in a tub and scoop what I needed.) GENERIC. UNSCENTED.
This hint, and those shoe traction thingies, were the best gifts I gave to a friend who'd moved North from Southern California (she'd never driven in snow before - like THAT).
First find out if your community has a paint recycling facility. If not, mix some clumping litter into leftover latex or acrylic paint and the whole mess will harden overnight enabling easy disposal into trash. (I think about 1 cup per half gallon...)
I have some old debt from medical expenses and about six months ago I was going to superhuman efforts to pay it off-- no luxuries, no movies, no books, no eating out, second guessing every cent I paid out. It was exhausting. Yes, I paid off a nice percentage of the debt over the 5 months I lived this way, but I got little satisfaction because I was so weary and anxious otherwise.
I finally came up with this solution: I went over my budget (yet again) and budgeted in some luxuries (a book or movie here and there, a small yarn allowance, and so forth) that I thought were reasonable while at the same time budgeting a set amount to pay down the debt. I feel like I'm making progress on the debt, but I'm not feeling utterly deprived doing it either.
Great article! I grew up eating home grown carrots. Yummy! The thing with carrots is that they grow in 2 sections. If you look at the end after you cut it, you see a core in the middle, and the 'meat' around the core. Similar to the rings in a tree. If you nibble the 'meat' off the core it is very sweet and tasty and you're left with a hard, sometimes stringy, slightly bitter core. If you just bite and chew, you don't really notice the difference. Of course, the larger the carrot grows, the bigger (and tougher) the core. The reason those 'baby' carrots are tasteless is because they're mostly or all core! All the good stuff is removed in the processing. This is what I explained to my son last week when I told him why we don't buy the easy baby carrots. Thank you for the added reason of less beta carotene!
I made the switch from Estee Lauder to Revlon a couple of years ago. I buy foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush - that is it. While lipsticks and eyeshadows come in so many beautiful shades, I have never been able to apply them right so I just go without. I would go without foundation except I have very dry patchy skin that is very uneven in tone. Going from Estee to Revlon was a big step for me due to my dry skin. I tried several drug store foundations before finding that Revlon Color Stay provides the same coverage as Estee at less than half the cost. The same with hair dye. I used to pay $60+ to have my hair colored professionally. Now, I buy the color and have my mom or sister apply it. Nothing removes makeup like good old fashioned cold cream. I skip Ponds and buy Walgreens - I get twice the amount for half the price. The same with Dove soap. My grandmother has used it almost her entire life, and her skin is amazing. I use Walgreens version of Dove and it is wonderful.
Cleaning carrots can scruff the surface and increase oxidation. Probably a big impact however.
Also if you buy tomato's fresh, don't put them in the fridge!
I got laid off, after experiences a number of these things (and I was the general manager).... I remember for the prior 12 months I was coaching someone else on their career issues and I was not following my own advice.
Then, I got laid off... started a job search with an incredible resume and.... hardly got an interview. It was very, very discouraging.
No matter how great or poor the company is doing, whether you are worried about becoming Employee of the month, getting laid off, or getting fired, you should ALWAYS be preparing.
Having an up-to-date resume is one thing. But what about regular networking ("dig your well before you're thirsty")? How about personal branding? There are other things to consider when creating your own job security - I guarantee your employer won't do it for you.
Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
:: self-serve career management ::
Funny that I've been struggling with this over the last several months. I've been in credit card debt for almost a year, mostly because I keep finding other things to spend money on, not just bills. I actually won't pay any of my bills with my credit card--only my checking account. But recently, I've found myself in a place where I feel trapped, and I've been thinking about charging a trip to Montreal to my credit card. Ironic that your post would come when it does.
It's a terrible internal fight. Best case scenario is that I pay off my debt and at the same time, concentrate on my business and bringing in income. Then I could take my trip. In the meantime, I tend to satisfy my desire to travel and "free" myself of my situation by walks down to the river in my city, or hour long drives to neighboring areas, where I can explore and feel like I'm out and about without spending a ton of money (yes, gas is always an expense).
Going out with friends is always an option, because a club soda with lime doesn't cost more than a couple of bucks, and it's free re-fills. The movies? Matinee everytime. Food for the house? When what I'm buying can compliment something I already have in the fridge. It's entirely possible. It's just a matter of finding out what you can live with, or without.
Maybe my post isn't much help as that it's ambiguous at best. It's up to the individual to choose what's valid to spend money on. But nobody ever feels entirely free when they're in debt. There's always that payment you could make, instead of that next beer at the bar.
I never customize my resume. Too much effort. I prefer to wow them at the interview.
With that much demand (and profit), are they still made from only waste carrots or have we moved to efficiently feeding easy to mechanically process (consistent shape) carrots into the baby-making machines?
Thank you, Linsey, for adding that your family has been involved in wild animal rescue, and that Wisebread does not advocate keeping wild animals as pets.
I did want to reply to your "Furthermore, if you subscribe to the rule that pets should never originate from descendants of wild animals, than you cannot own any birds, fish, ferrets, lizards, frogs, snails, or bugs either." which, I believe, was in response to my comment.
I have NEVER kept any of those as pets, for the very reason you cite: I subscribe to the rule that pets should never originate from descendants of wild animals. The closest I've ever come is living on property that my parents "own" which is bordered by a salt marsh, so frogs and turtles roam regularly during the summer months. We never caged any of them, nor did we ever purchase these, or other wild animals (bred in captivity or otherwise) for pets. I am not trained or equipped to care for a wild animal.
A financial/money-saving site like Wisebread, I would have thought, would be more familiar with supply-and-demand, in response to "...can be purchased at any of your Big Box pet supply megafranchises." As for "I personally don't understand how (even though the originating species may have come from the wild) buying a pet that is hundreds of generations from ever seeing the wild is wrong." I again, cite supply-and-demand, and wonder if caged animals can ever be truly happy. I am not trained or equipped to care for a wild animal and would never make the attempt unless I were so trained and could care for the animal in a life-size habitat (i.e. preserve).
If any of these animals can, indeed, be rescued, I'd support it even if I wouldn't do it myself. I'd hope, though, that the habitat created would be large and close to natural - and that is something I did NOT see in the original article.
(My cat, rescued from a no-kill shelter, is given a healthy diet, and has a veterinarian who is well-versed in my cat's species. He doesn't roam outside, much as he'd like to, because cars are not part of his original habitat but they remain a regular threat to him. His habitat, the entire house except for one bedroom that's off-limits, isn't as big as it would be in the wild, but he is a cat who constantly purrs and "performs," and except when he's at the aforementioned vet, he's a pretty happy boy. I've given him a better life than he had in the cage at the shelter.)
Man, those brine shrimp are something, eh?
Well, I generally don't want to buy pets from pet stores. There's something inherently sad, at least for me, in seeing all those betas lined up in tiny cups with nothing to see or so but float sadly, looking at the other betas. I got really freaked out at a craft store upon finding that they were selling frogs as decorative accents for lucky bamboo arrangements.
That said, Lindsey has advocated for the adoption of hedgehogs and other pets from shelters in this thread. You can find all kinds of animals that needs homes, from hamsters to iguanas, by going to Petfinder. Also, keep in mind that not everyone can have a cat or a dog. Some people have allergies. Some people don't have the time. Some people live in apartment complexes that don't allow cats and dogs.
[I'm going to take a moment to point out something that I feel needs saying: just because one blogger says something on this web site doesn't mean that it's endorsed by the entire slate of bloggers. So far, no one (especially Lindsey) has written anything that I personally object to on Wise Bread, but there may come a time when someone posts something that other writers may politely disagree with. Don't assume that one writer's opinion speaks for everyone. "Wise Bread advice" does not come from a single source - we're a diverse group of writers from a wide range of backgrounds.]
With that out of the way, I still stand behind Lindsey's post here. She's not advocating anything morally objectionable.
Oh, and BTW, hissing cockroaches are awesome. I can't stand bugs, but they are pretty nifty.
While I have been involved in the rescuing and releasing of wild animals during my childhood (my mother was a licensed Animal Rehab worker), I have never ever kept a wild animal as a pet. Nor do I, or Wisebread for that matter, advocate keeping wild animals as pets.
All of the animals mentioned in my article (with the exception of the hedgehog) can be purchased at any of your Big Box pet supply megafranchises. I personally don't understand how (even though the originating species may have come from the wild) buying a pet that is hundreds of generations from ever seeing the wild is wrong.
Additionally, the domestic cat is nothing more than a slight variation of its species : Felis silvestris, libyca group (or better known as an African wildcat.)
I agree that it is dangerous to keep wild animals as pets. Exotic or unique breeds should not be confused with "wild" animals. Furthermore, if you subscribe to the rule that pets should never originate from descendants of wild animals, than you cannot own any birds, fish, ferrets, lizards, frogs, snails, or bugs either.
I love dogs and cats, too. But as far as I know, (and correct me if I'm wrong) Sea Monkeys are the only pets without any direct lineage to "wild" animals.
Thanks for your comments.
Well, you're not just comparing "baby carrots vs. regular carrots" here. There are three factors involved: 1) the carrots you like are not processed, 2) the carrots you like are not the same variety (as you pointed out in the update), and 3) the carrots you like are from a farmers market rather than a supermarket, where the quality is usually much better. I'd argue that the third factor could be more important than the other two.
It seems like supermarket produce has really gone to the birds in the last 5 or 10 years. It's amazing to me how completely flavorless everything is there. Particularly strawberries, cucumber, and watermelon. Blech.
The truth is, if you're doing something you love, you soon get very good at it. If you're doing something you dislike or feel lukewarm about, your best efforts are--at the max--lukewarm.
The world's a big place, and consequently just about everything is marketable to someone, somewhere. People recognize quality, and when employers, clients, or customers see that you are providing a top-of-the-line service or product, they're willing to pay for it. You may take a little longer to earn a great living doing what you love than to pay off the student loans and put bread on the table by teaching, but eventually you'll find you'll earn more and be happier human beings when you follow your bliss.
BTW, I taught in a university for 10 years before returning to a managing editor's job (whose starting pay was 10 grand more than I earned at the assoc. professor pay level). If you're good at it--and apparently I was, because students turned in rave reviews and I never received an annual dean's evaluation below the highest numerical ranking--you work like an animal, put in 12- to 18-hour days seven days a week, work unpaid over the summer, apply management and organizational skills that would put you in upper-midlevel corporate management, and you earn about what the best-paid members of the custodial staff earn. Now I do what I like to do (not that I didn't "like" teaching--I just didn't care for the working conditions & pay). I rarely work more than 9 or 10 hours a day, never work on weekends, and presently earn $20,000 more than I made while teaching.
Do what you want to do, not what you think you "have" to do!
I'm with the 'its better to decorate it yourself' crowd as everyone else seems to decorate in my personal least favourite colours, brown and cream.
I'm actually in the process of decorating my first ever house (definitely only new to me - it was built in 1910) and I'm trying not to make too many poor decisions.
surely homes are priced according to location,size, desirability and decor. what would it have cost you to buy a home with a high quality of decor in the same neighbourhoood with the same amount of area and style of house. i reckon it would have cost you more to the tune of atleast half the money you spent on revamping your current house.
but then the decor may not have been to your taste. to me as long as the neighbourhood, size and general aesthetics of the house are sound, you are probably better off buying a house which is not revamped newly. if you do that you pay a premium for someone else revamping the house and it may not be to your taste. better to get somewhere liveable and when you have lived there for a few months you have a better feel for how you want the house to be and function.
unless of course you find a place which is exactly what you want. then you might as well negotiate the best price for it
Meera
Very useful, excellent information..
You might also find it useful to visit my website: http://www.petsmanners.info
I believe the Aquasana filter is a more ecologically viable alternative to Brita. From what I understand (and I haven't tried it yet; I just know what the company rep told me) the Aquasana cartridge is wrapped in a thin film and has 2 plastic end caps, but the bulk of it is activated carbon that will biodegrade. I think they are made with much less plastic than Brita filters.
Brita filters are not recyclable in the U.S., although they are in Europe. When I questioned a Brita rep, I was told that the filters are made using a different technology in Europe. I'm not sure I buy that, but it's enough to make me want to stop buying the cartridges.
By the way, I found your site when I was trying to research what could be the difference between the different Brita filters. I still don't know. I do know that I am trying to eliminate as much plastic waste from my life as possible. I've published my correspondence with Brita on my web site: http://www.fakeplasticfish.com.
Very useful, excellent information..
You might also find it useful to visit my website: http://www.petsmanners.info
I'm a little surprised at this article. I'm a new subscriber, but had found Wisebread's advice sound - until now.
With all the cats and dogs in shelters, I am amazed that Wisebread has chosen to advocate wild animals as an ALTERNATIVE to domesticated animals. While I'm trying to fall on the side of "animal advocate" and not "animal nut," I'm utterly shocked that a common sense site such as this would advocate the breeding of wild animals in captivity OR the capturing of said animals from the wild.
The market for wild animals exists only as long as we feed into it. I've only had pets* from friends or shelters, and never from breeding mills. As cool as I think wild animals are, I can't be cruel enough to take one from its natural habitat and move it from the great outdoors to a cage the size of my computer desk.
Logic aside, my heart would feel guilty committing such an act. Really, I expected better.
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*I've heard cats and dogs referred to as "companion animals." While my cat is my pet, I'm not convinced that he doesn't think that I am HIS pet.
For the people that are bashing the English for their gullibility, the same goes for Americans. Diet pills are a multi billion dollar industry in America, and as we can see they just plain do not work. Millions of Americans are tricked into believing their advertisements.
Create a homepage on http://www.infositepage.com and earn money from visitors clicking adds on your homepage. The adds are automatically placed on your site and you get the earnings through a PayPal payment.
//Johan
I have a Vespa with a dent in the legshield. I also have a smaller dent in the door of my subaru. The gauge of sheet metal on the Vespa is much thicker than the subaru. I'll try dry ice on both and see what happens.
To keep it legal, I believe you have to say that the coupon is free but that they are paying you for your time to find the coupon. I believe reselling the coupon itself is illegal.