Recent comments

  • Time-Management Tools: Too Busy to Read This Post?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I completely agree that Remember the Milk is invaluable, and everyone I've talked to seems to think the same! I'm learning how to better use it with Getting Things Done, too. Good to know your thoughts on Toggl also - thanks for sharing!

  • How to Answer 23 of the Most Common Interview Questions   15 years 12 weeks ago

    The CV is so important, i have 2 CVs, one for Visual merchandising and one for retail management. You need to look at the qualities they are asking for and put them in the key skills section of your CV. I tailored them to the jobs and saved them under the company name with a strong covering letter mentioning their company by name and complimenting them within it ... so and so is at the forefront of design, i find your work very inspiring and i would love to be part of your team.
    When i started to do this, i was getting interviews for nearly every job i applied for compared to the 10% i was getting before.
    A really punchy statement at the start helps and not too long, mine is 2 pages
    :)

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I definitely buy in bulk when it's reasonable for just the two of us.

  • Time-Management Tools: Too Busy to Read This Post?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I can't say enough good things about Remember the Milk. It's by far my favorite and most used app on my phone. As far as to-do lists go, it's the best.

    I've used Toggl some too. It's very good at what it does. I can't say I'm much of a power user, but I use it to keep track of how much time of spend on homework, in each subject, and it works like a charm. Great integration with it's web interface (with the mobile interface) too.

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I don't have much storage space or a big freezer so what I can buy in bulk is limited. I buy spices from bulk bins, as they seem to be cheaper that way.

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I buy in bulk via amazon for items that we use frequently that doesn't risk going bad. Examples are toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, deodorants, and frozen fruits, vegetables. Other things that have early expiration dates I don't purchase because I may or may not use all of the produce in time.

  • 5 Frugal Lessons I Learned From Aldi   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I love the simplicity of Aldi's. You can get in and out of the store with a cart full of groceries in much less time than other "mainstream" stores. I think they've gotten better over the years too, and you can sure save money. I tend to buy my meat in other stores though because Aldi does not carry a real large selection of meats.

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I buy in bulk all the time. It saves me time since I have 3 kids under the age of 6 and my husband travels a lot. I buy frozen perdue or kirkland chicken breast, rolled oats, eggs, fresh spinach, organic ground beef, cereal, peanut butter, butter, flour, sugar. I have a freezer in the garage which lets me stock up and not have to go to the store and impulse buy items I don't need. We also have a delivery service drop off milk/dairy products just so I don't end up in the store buying stuff the kids want when we really need certain items. I would love to start buying in bulk from a bulk food store. The prices are so much less.

  • 6 Myths About Using Credit Cards for the Sign-Up Bonuses   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I'm a big advocate of signing up for credit cards for the right bonus/rewards. I recently signed up for a Marriot card that will give me a few nights of free lodging that I plan to use for a summer beach trip. Last summer I signed up for a citi card that gave $200-$250 cash back after spending a certain amount in 3 months.

    Any offers like these I consider worth signing up for,. As long as you are responsible and are screening only the best offers, there's a lot to gain from credit cards offers without significantly affecting your credit score.

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I buy several things in bulk at my local health food stores, including steel-cut oats, wild rice, dried beans, peppercorns, sea salt, and all kinds of dried nuts and fruits. One thing I would love to buy in bulk is baking soda as I use it to clean absolutely everything, but I haven't been able to find it yet...

  • Stop Slouching! 5 Ways to Improve Your Posture   15 years 12 weeks ago

    for good posture sit and stand with the top of your head raised as high as comfortably possible. The shoulders and abdomen will end up where they should. Good sitting posture is shown by classical musicians.
    If orthotics are necessary, you know you have the proper one when you stand with them in your shoes and you feel taller--sometimes much taller

  • College Move-Out Days: The Best Time to Dumpster Dive?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I've actually furnished entire houses, plus friends' houses doing this years upon years. I've found big screen TVs (and vintage TVs), really nice couches, a pillow-top California king posturepedic bed and frame, futons, several office desks, computer parts, misc. furniture, fans and heaters, and pretty much everything else.

    The summer time is a great time to look (also, you can find things behind thrift stores and furniture stores), also another favorite time is after Xmas and New Year's Day. I've had the best luck by finding things of value next to dumpsters in apartment complexes where there are many complexes on one street.

    And no, I'm not even a dumpster diver; I don't drive ALL the time and do see these things laying around quite a bit (plus I am thrifty and am willing to fix things up).

    A lot of people wouldn't even believe me if I told them I got most of my stuff from sitting next to dumpsters. People tend to throw out some really nice things!

    Also in some cities/areas more than others.. Your geographical location has something to do with it.

  • 51 Uses for Coca-Cola – the Ultimate List   15 years 12 weeks ago

    actuall diet coke will dissolve a nail. a rusted nail. we did the experiment in a science class. we did several different nails at different stages (added during different hours of the day) to determine exactly how longit took to dissolve and a smaller (2 inch) rusted nail took only 6 hours in diet coke.

  • Stop Slouching! 5 Ways to Improve Your Posture   15 years 12 weeks ago

    Great Article, before reading it I was slouching in front of my computer, now I'm sitting with my back straight against the chair.

    Thanks for the info! :-)

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    no, because I'm only a 1 person household. sometimes it's more cost effective just eating out instead of buying all this food and having it spoil.

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    No I don't buy in bulk. Not for lack of want-to, it's a matter of cash flow. I know I would save money in the long run, but I have to live pay check to pay check so I can't have large expenditures in any one area.

  • What's Faster for Mortgage Payoff: $100/Month Extra or 1 Payment/Year Extra?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    You'll need to know how many years you have held the mortgage of the 30 years. If you design a 30-year mortgage schedule, then you can plug the extra payments in wherever you are month-years wise. The answer will depend on whether you have 29 years left or 15 years left, for example. If you can let me know, then I could help you figure that out -- how soon the pay off will be.

  • 25 Easy Organizing Changes You Can Make Today   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I agree - you don't need to buy containers before you start the organizing. Just stop by any grocery store (or Costco) and pick up a few cardboard boxes - trash, keep elsewhere, donate, are my 3 categories.

    Then go through one area at a time and sort items into each.

    Once you have your area organized, you'll be in a better position to know if/what kind of containers you need. It may take a bit longer, but you won't buy extra containers or the wrong sizes.

    Drop off donations on your next trip out or they may "sneak back" into the house. :)

  • Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Delicious Homemade Gluten-Free Bread   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I make rice flour from (you guessed it) rice. I use a <$20 garden variety coffee grinder (the kind with a rotating steel blade) and grind about a quarter cup at a time in maybe 30 seconds.

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    Bulk nuts all the way!

  • 5 Tried-and-True Strategies for Saving When Your Income Isn't Consistent   15 years 12 weeks ago

    i have a place i stash cash. then i take the cash out of my cash budget and live on the rest.

    if i don't have money to pay a bill, i wait until i get more cash to pay it.

    also then i have to find more ways to get cash.

    if times are slow, i can pull out some of my cash reserves to get by, but it hurts so i avoid it.

  • How to Survive (and Thrive!) in a Job You Hate   15 years 12 weeks ago

    thanks for your comments. thank you for doing actual work.

    if it helps, andrew carnegie started out working in a blast furnace when he decided he would be a leader in the steel industry instead of working in someone else's "acres of diamonds".

  • Ask The Readers: Do You Buy In Bulk?   15 years 12 weeks ago

    I buy in bulk if it is something that won't go bad by the time I get to using it.

  • How to Make Your Own Popcorn   15 years 12 weeks ago

    Stovetop popcorn is a favorite snack at our house! We make it with coconut oil which gives it a rich flavor that's healthy too!

    http://www.agoodandsimplelife.com/2010/11/simple-stovetop-popcorn.htmsl

  • How to Never Pay for Another Book   15 years 12 weeks ago

    It's great to see the historically stuffy publishing industry relaxing a little, ensuring that people can enjoy great reads for free.

    However, for all luddites out there charity shops and yard sales are brilliant destinations for some value book buys. Happy reading!