Awww.. what a sweet comment! I think it's great that you link to us :) I also admire your relationship with the Puttylike.com blogger. That's what makes the blogging world a great place to be! Thanks so much!
That's awesome that you learn to do certain things on your own and then offer your services to people you know! What a great way to make a little extra money!
I hadn't even thought about paying to get oil changed as a convenience! Great point! I have no idea how to change my own oil, so that's definitely something I pay for.
Yes for things like oil changes, home renovations/repairs. No for food related things like buying shredded cheese (I buy a big block at Costco and do it myself) I also do not buy ready made meals. I prefer to cook better tasting items myself at home.
Thanks for re-running my guest post on Budgets are Sexy! Please be sure to visit my regular blog, Smart Spending Spot to get lots of great spending & saving tips. Even if coupons aren't for you, I do a weekly feature called "No coupons? No problem!" that shows you how to get great deals without coupons.
Hi, Irwan. Thank you for mentioning bitter melon. It was recommended to me in China, as well. The taste is classified as bitter rather than sour, hence the name (sour foods are like vinegar, but bitter is another taste altogether, and most people find it very unpleasant).
I actually enjoy bitter melon quite a bit if it is prepared well, and I do order it when I see it on the menu at Asian restaurants. But I have never had any luck with it lowering my blood sugar, which is why I didn't mention it in the article. I tried only to talk about methods that I personally have found successful.
I LOVE this...the Gift Card Awareness made me laugh! GC's seem like the ultimate "useful" gift, but it's also concerning that the money you put towards it might be languishing in a drawer or the back of someone's wallet if you missed the mark or they are simply lazy/forgetful!
As for mentors- I think that's a fabulous idea. I will try and buy my favorite blogger's book when I have the cash, and one of my fave bloggers from Puttylike.com reached out to me and offered a free coaching session to help me with my writing/blogging skills, so I said "thanks" by hiring her again (this time paid!) and promoting her site on twitter, etc.
I don't think we should keep our financial mentor favorites to ourselves! :) That's why I have WiseBread linked on my small-but-steady blog, just a small way of saying thanks and sharing what I love about WB! So... THANKS!
I think most people pay for some conveniences, while dciding to do other things themselves. I do pay for the convenience of having my house cleaned. Since the economy tightened, I have done more myself, but this one thing is so time-consuming, I just gring and bear it. As an almost-empty-nester, it is way more important for me to spend time with my kids than with a toilet brush. Just sayin'.
Ok what level of employ were you. The only way you paid for college and living expenses with a Target job was if you were in corporate or management or you found the cheapest college on earth (it was probably some online school).
I am from Malaysia. In my country, we use Bitter Gourd to lower our blood sugar. Bitter gourd has an amount of insulin substances that help the reduce the burden on the pancreas.
Bitter Gourd is pretty sour. Some people develop taste for it. There is a recipe how to cook it. Also, you could make juice out of it. Add apple to it.
I do not pay for convenience. If it is something that I can do myself, then I do it. I clean my own house, change my own oil, cook my own meals, do my own laundry, etc. Convenince is not worth the price 95% of the time, at least for me and my thin wallet.
I would also like to add that at least in California Unemployment Insurance is paid for SOLELY by the EMPLOYER!!!! This is not an entitlement benefit. If the employer ends up going out of business the burden then transfers to the employers left in the state that are continuing to pay unemployment. NOTHING ever is taken out of the employee's pocket.
As a home care agency owner in California, unemployment benefits may be the final blow to our already struggling business. It used to be understood that when you are working for the our clients, the job is not permanent. The average age of our clients is 85...our workers lose their clients to death, higher levels of care and dissatisfaction with the worker. It is really not in our control how long each case will last. It used to be much harder for them to collect unemployment as it is clearly understood that the nature of our business is temporary. NOW they can work for us for one case, the client passes away, we offer a new case and they can flat out refuse the case and they STILL get unemployment. We have spent much time and money appealing cases but have just given up because the EDD in California is hell-bent to grant unemployment to anyone who asks for it. In 2010 our rates went from 3.2 to 6.4 percent of payroll AND in 2012 instead of paying that on the first $7,000 of each person's pay they will increase it to the first $15,000. The company has to pay that, so here is the net effect:
1. The current caregivers that continue to work for the company will not be receiving raises, AGAIN.
2. The company will cut into its net profits again for the 4th year in a row.
3. There will be the real possibility that the company cannot continue to operate and all of the workers will be unemployed.
Small business owners are hanging on by a thread...our take home is only 15% if we are extremely frugal and cut expenses at every turn. These workers either don't realize that by fraudulently collecting benefits they are creating a bigger problem, or maybe it is that they just don't care.
The worst part of it is that many of these workers, in home care at least are able to collect unemployment AND work under the table with as little effort as putting an ad on Craigslist...I have seen former workers on there and it makes my blood boil...not only am I paying their unemployment but they are taking potential clients right out of our hands.
I have spent 8 years building this company and the unemployment benefit may be the end of it.
I agree with all of this. We have gone through downsizing and job loss and are in it right now. It's been stressful. We do have some money saved and I have good benefits right now, but my paycheck suffers dearly from low wages and the high cost of benefits. We could never live off of my income alone. Impossible. My husband has worked 2-3 jobs ( full time plus one or two part-time) to keep us afloat. It's nothing short of tiring. We try to avoid the credit card but sometimes we can't. I have alot of medical stuff due to being diabetic but I try my best every day to stay healthy. I think that working as a team (if you have a significant other) is essential to accomplish your goals. We don't have family near us to help in any way, so we raise the family alone. Once, we all had the flu at the same time and were all in the hospital together!! I think that having conscious spending, having anyone who is healthy to pull a second job and decrease as much in expenses as possible helps. Jobs are very unstable and being prepared for the worst is always the best thing to do.
Sometimes. We don't have someone mow the lawn or babysit our kids or clean our home. So, no money spent there. The conveniences we use are food related, although we rarely eat out. I spend alot of time making foods from scratch as well as my own cleaning supplies. I do work full-time as well. So, my conveniences are mostly from the grocery store (ie: waffles, pizza sauce and sliced bread). When me and the kids are getting out the door, toasting waffles is alot quicker than making them from scratch!
Thanks, Philip. This is a good introductory post for anyone trying to rebuild their finances. I'm with you on improving one's employability. And with the Internet cranking out online work opportunities, it's a big help if you have some web skills to bank on.
I'm with you there, I would have no idea how to do repairs on my own car, so that's definitely something I will pay someone else to do!
Awww.. what a sweet comment! I think it's great that you link to us :) I also admire your relationship with the Puttylike.com blogger. That's what makes the blogging world a great place to be! Thanks so much!
Those are some really interesting points about what actually constitutes convenience. Thanks for sharing!
That's awesome that you learn to do certain things on your own and then offer your services to people you know! What a great way to make a little extra money!
I hadn't even thought about paying to get oil changed as a convenience! Great point! I have no idea how to change my own oil, so that's definitely something I pay for.
You are welcome!
Yes for things like oil changes, home renovations/repairs. No for food related things like buying shredded cheese (I buy a big block at Costco and do it myself) I also do not buy ready made meals. I prefer to cook better tasting items myself at home.
Thanks for re-running my guest post on Budgets are Sexy! Please be sure to visit my regular blog, Smart Spending Spot to get lots of great spending & saving tips. Even if coupons aren't for you, I do a weekly feature called "No coupons? No problem!" that shows you how to get great deals without coupons.
Hi, Irwan. Thank you for mentioning bitter melon. It was recommended to me in China, as well. The taste is classified as bitter rather than sour, hence the name (sour foods are like vinegar, but bitter is another taste altogether, and most people find it very unpleasant).
I actually enjoy bitter melon quite a bit if it is prepared well, and I do order it when I see it on the menu at Asian restaurants. But I have never had any luck with it lowering my blood sugar, which is why I didn't mention it in the article. I tried only to talk about methods that I personally have found successful.
I will pay for self serve gas, because I hate getting gas, and its easier... its a small guilty pleasure!
I LOVE this...the Gift Card Awareness made me laugh! GC's seem like the ultimate "useful" gift, but it's also concerning that the money you put towards it might be languishing in a drawer or the back of someone's wallet if you missed the mark or they are simply lazy/forgetful!
As for mentors- I think that's a fabulous idea. I will try and buy my favorite blogger's book when I have the cash, and one of my fave bloggers from Puttylike.com reached out to me and offered a free coaching session to help me with my writing/blogging skills, so I said "thanks" by hiring her again (this time paid!) and promoting her site on twitter, etc.
I don't think we should keep our financial mentor favorites to ourselves! :) That's why I have WiseBread linked on my small-but-steady blog, just a small way of saying thanks and sharing what I love about WB! So... THANKS!
I think most people pay for some conveniences, while dciding to do other things themselves. I do pay for the convenience of having my house cleaned. Since the economy tightened, I have done more myself, but this one thing is so time-consuming, I just gring and bear it. As an almost-empty-nester, it is way more important for me to spend time with my kids than with a toilet brush. Just sayin'.
Why not search directly on Amazon?
With something like: http://shopsheep.com you can directly search on Amazon for any discount you like
Hardly ever.
Ok what level of employ were you. The only way you paid for college and living expenses with a Target job was if you were in corporate or management or you found the cheapest college on earth (it was probably some online school).
I am from Malaysia. In my country, we use Bitter Gourd to lower our blood sugar. Bitter gourd has an amount of insulin substances that help the reduce the burden on the pancreas.
Bitter Gourd is pretty sour. Some people develop taste for it. There is a recipe how to cook it. Also, you could make juice out of it. Add apple to it.
Nope. Too cheap!
you should try using oil wipe it on then wipe it or 4 a few minits and after wala but it works 75%
I do not pay for convenience. If it is something that I can do myself, then I do it. I clean my own house, change my own oil, cook my own meals, do my own laundry, etc. Convenince is not worth the price 95% of the time, at least for me and my thin wallet.
I would also like to add that at least in California Unemployment Insurance is paid for SOLELY by the EMPLOYER!!!! This is not an entitlement benefit. If the employer ends up going out of business the burden then transfers to the employers left in the state that are continuing to pay unemployment. NOTHING ever is taken out of the employee's pocket.
As a home care agency owner in California, unemployment benefits may be the final blow to our already struggling business. It used to be understood that when you are working for the our clients, the job is not permanent. The average age of our clients is 85...our workers lose their clients to death, higher levels of care and dissatisfaction with the worker. It is really not in our control how long each case will last. It used to be much harder for them to collect unemployment as it is clearly understood that the nature of our business is temporary. NOW they can work for us for one case, the client passes away, we offer a new case and they can flat out refuse the case and they STILL get unemployment. We have spent much time and money appealing cases but have just given up because the EDD in California is hell-bent to grant unemployment to anyone who asks for it. In 2010 our rates went from 3.2 to 6.4 percent of payroll AND in 2012 instead of paying that on the first $7,000 of each person's pay they will increase it to the first $15,000. The company has to pay that, so here is the net effect:
1. The current caregivers that continue to work for the company will not be receiving raises, AGAIN.
2. The company will cut into its net profits again for the 4th year in a row.
3. There will be the real possibility that the company cannot continue to operate and all of the workers will be unemployed.
Small business owners are hanging on by a thread...our take home is only 15% if we are extremely frugal and cut expenses at every turn. These workers either don't realize that by fraudulently collecting benefits they are creating a bigger problem, or maybe it is that they just don't care.
The worst part of it is that many of these workers, in home care at least are able to collect unemployment AND work under the table with as little effort as putting an ad on Craigslist...I have seen former workers on there and it makes my blood boil...not only am I paying their unemployment but they are taking potential clients right out of our hands.
I have spent 8 years building this company and the unemployment benefit may be the end of it.
Hey, I live in DC too! Let's catch a movie! Thanks for the tips!
I agree with all of this. We have gone through downsizing and job loss and are in it right now. It's been stressful. We do have some money saved and I have good benefits right now, but my paycheck suffers dearly from low wages and the high cost of benefits. We could never live off of my income alone. Impossible. My husband has worked 2-3 jobs ( full time plus one or two part-time) to keep us afloat. It's nothing short of tiring. We try to avoid the credit card but sometimes we can't. I have alot of medical stuff due to being diabetic but I try my best every day to stay healthy. I think that working as a team (if you have a significant other) is essential to accomplish your goals. We don't have family near us to help in any way, so we raise the family alone. Once, we all had the flu at the same time and were all in the hospital together!! I think that having conscious spending, having anyone who is healthy to pull a second job and decrease as much in expenses as possible helps. Jobs are very unstable and being prepared for the worst is always the best thing to do.
Sometimes. We don't have someone mow the lawn or babysit our kids or clean our home. So, no money spent there. The conveniences we use are food related, although we rarely eat out. I spend alot of time making foods from scratch as well as my own cleaning supplies. I do work full-time as well. So, my conveniences are mostly from the grocery store (ie: waffles, pizza sauce and sliced bread). When me and the kids are getting out the door, toasting waffles is alot quicker than making them from scratch!
Thanks, Philip. This is a good introductory post for anyone trying to rebuild their finances. I'm with you on improving one's employability. And with the Internet cranking out online work opportunities, it's a big help if you have some web skills to bank on.