Recent comments

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Funny thing. I was just reading on a related story on Copyblogger on how the less fortunate tend to eat McDonald's, Burger King and such because those restaurants offer cheap, quick meals. I always find it tough to eating healthy and eating cheap at the same time.

  • Cracking the Infamous McDonalds Monopoly Game   17 years 28 weeks ago

    People we're in a recession people are losing their jobs and homes, families are falling apart. And yet MCD's is still making money hand over fist. Well done evil genius. I need to buy in to their stock that's where the money is.

  • Remove Car Dents Quickly and Cheaply   17 years 28 weeks ago

    although i've not yet attempted any of these cool dent removal methods but im really attracted towards method 2.but i dont know whether it works on huge dents or not?from ehrer do i supposed to get a liuid compressed c02?

  • Save Time and Money With a Monthly Assembly (or Bulk) Cooking Weekend   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Thank you so much for all the details you included in the Overview Article. I am inspired to act on this "sounds interesting thought" that I had to begin with before googling :-)

  • 8 Nifty Tips for Getting the Most from an All-You-Can Eat Buffet   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Wow! People sure are snarky when it comes to tipping. Honestly, if the food and the service bother you so much, do everyone else a favor and stay home and cook your own food. Seriously. You can bet the other customers don't want to be sitting by someone with such a negative attitude when enjoying a meal that they also paid for. People tend to forget that waitstaff tend to be students, parents, and those working a second job. These people work as hard, if not harder, than most of us and deserve a little respect. I will often double my bill if I'm dining alone and I have great service. Especially if my server maintains a positive attitude while also having to deal with a "cranky-pants" customer at the next table.

  • Cracking the Infamous McDonalds Monopoly Game   17 years 28 weeks ago

    post 105 is full of it. No one wins a million in this game mcdonalds has this game rigged. They have been sued a couple times for enever making the winning game pieces. There sure making alot of money off you guys that have a gambling problem haha

  • The mystery shopping scam that could cost you a fortune.   17 years 28 weeks ago

    if any mystery shopper company tells you TO WIRE MONEY to anywhere it's a scam.........i nearly fel for this scam recenty.

  • How to Sell Your Hair for Cash   17 years 28 weeks ago

    umm, FYI, locks of love does not GIVE the hair pieces away. they sell them. they sell a lot of hair. they even take gray hair to sell, to 'off set the cost of manufacturing', they say. locks of love makes it sound like they 'give' the hair pieces away, when they don't.

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Hey Everyone, thanks for your thoughts. I agree, these are tense times but call for a lot of thought and ingenuity, things we might not have called upon by simply maintaining the status quo.

    To Mom and Wildgift, I understand that eating healty, organic and local foods is a more expensive proposition, and fatty processed and fast foods are cheaper. Each family situation is different. However, there is no denying that the reduction in work can lead to more time, though what sort of benefits or suffering arise from that depend on the circumstances.

    I will say this-where we live, here in Vermont, the reduction in work time has resulted in an increasing number of people growing and raising their own food, which takes the one thing most busy professionals don't have - time. And it's hard to argue with the fact that being out in a garden with family and friends is a healthy pursuit. 

    And it doesn't take much space to grow a reasonable amount of food, just a little creativity.

  • The 10 Things I Won’t Give Up Just To Save Money   17 years 28 weeks ago

    I think I could give up or trade down on most things that wouldn't be considered bare necessities to someone living as I do in a large city in a developed country (with government sponsored health insurance, for the record). But if we are talking about the difference between a reasonable, not extravagant, quality of life and misery, my Factor X is breakfast just the way I like it. Home made muesli with proper yoghurt and black coffee or tea. I could make it through the day without makeup, booze or soft loo paper (and a lot of other things) if only I'd had my breakfast. I've been in hard saving mode for 6 months and have cut back in lots of areas. After an initial feeling of deprivation (once the self righteousness wears off), I really haven't missed many of the things I've stopped buying.
    By the way, don't let anti-American posters get your goat. They would not have the balls to call you 'Yank' to your face.

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    In the recent past, it was the most "raw" materials that were the cheapest - that included food. So an economic downturn caused people to get back to less processed food.

    Today, due to globalization and wage stagnation at the lowest wages, processed foods and "GMO" foods are cheaper than foods which resemble traditional foods. So burgers become cheaper than even non-meat foods.

    Buying cheap "disposable" products can become cheaper, in the long run, than purchasing durable products, or making things yourself. Think about the last time someone has woven or sewn something and it cost less than buying something cheap off the rack?

    This trend toward allowing companies to ship manufacturing off to countries with way lower wages has created this situation.

    So, during this downturn, we might experience poorer health, and more anxiety.

  • How to Launder Money   17 years 28 weeks ago

    These work...

    Construction Companies:

    Painting
    Landscaping
    Cement

    Small Marketing Co.

    Advertising Co.

    Clean money EZ

  • Cracking the Infamous McDonalds Monopoly Game   17 years 28 weeks ago

    This is just the corporatons playing with people!

  • Root cause of the financial crisis   17 years 28 weeks ago

    ...wanted a house but couldn't afford the monthly payments. What changed was that someone gave them loans anyway.

  • Frugal Ways to Stay in Touch on the Road   17 years 28 weeks ago

    I'm curious about the Skype plan. International roaming is great, it's cheaper for them to call or text me, but then on my end it's the other way around. I need to find a better plan

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    In fatter economic times I was an all-organic vegan. Since my hubby's job was downsized, it's SAD (standard American diet) all the way for us now. I can't feed a family (yes, I do belong to a CSA and eat almost exclusively at home) a healthy diet as cheaply as I can feed a family BOGOs at Publix. Our health is suffering already and it's only been three months.

  • Surviving a financial panic -- lessons from the past   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Right.  As I said in the article, bank runs had been largely eliminated by deposit insurance--but largely eliminated is not completely eliminated.

    In the UK, the deposit insurance limits were quite low--low enough that the deposits of ordinary small savers were at risk.

    In the US, the deposit insurance limits were high enough that most ordinary savers' balances were protected--but businesses and other institutions with large balances were at risk.

    The result was a return of the bank run.

    Who would have thought that we'd see the day?

    I should note that both the UK and the US have raised the insurance limits.

  • 9 Signs You Need to Fire Your Financial Planner   17 years 28 weeks ago

    While financial planners can be a great resource, you should never rely solely on them. Your finances are too important to let yourself have someone make decisions your don't understand. You worked too hard. But don't also cop out with meager returns from an average CFP. There are too many great personal finance books that are explained in layman's terms of what to do, including how much you'll need to save and earn to get you there. In the end, financial planners may know the rules and regulations, but that doesn't make them better investors. -Lee from www.cheaplee.com

  • 8 Nifty Tips for Getting the Most from an All-You-Can Eat Buffet   17 years 28 weeks ago

    We have a Golden Corral and two Chinese buffet's in our town. The Golden Corral is the worst one I have ever eaten at. The two Chinese buffets are better with one being very good, however I don't think they are very inexspensive at all. We have two children, a boy 15 and a girl 11. We get charged the adult price for our 15 year old ($10.75 ) so we don't save ANY money at the buffet, so until I get "the working family discount", like the senior's get, I will only tip $1.00 per person. I the "busser", which is all the wait staff is at a buffet, doesn't like the $4.00/ hr wage, GET REAL JOB.

  • That Age-Old Conundrum: Time vs. Money   17 years 28 weeks ago

    This question is at the root of my 2nd major career-changing decision.

    I spent 5 years in my early 20s and thousands of dollars to get my MD from a top 10 med school. Eefore I applied, I was planning to practice for a few years, and then try and go nonprofit or corporate development... but during school I realized after residency and practice, I would've lost another 5-10 years which I could be using to fix some aspect of the healthcare system. The opportunity cost of lost time is tremendous, especially in your early career days.

    I got a job in finance after graduation and it was absolutely the right decision. It's easier to advocate for patients from outside the walls of the hospital-- plus I have my life back and time with my family and friends, despite a potentially lower earning potential. Wouldn't have it any other way.

    (That said, I'd go to med school all over again at the same age, given the opportunity. It was a humbling and incredible experience.)

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Slowing down and reconnecting with family even in an economic boom is a good thing. It seems that we are all victims of circumstance and it takes something like this to make us spend time with family and friends. I wrote a post several weeks ago about about Hurricane Ike hitting Ohio. Long story short, several of my neighbors, myself included, were without power for almost a week. All the neighbors came together and I talked and spent more time with people (now friends) in the neighborhood than I had in the previous 10 years I had lived there.

  • Why You Don’t Need Mortgage Life Insurance   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Would you be so kind as to let me know how I would contact you to confirm your experience? Please let me know, as it would certainly aid in how I proceed. Thank you.

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Most people don't realize that this might be the greatest time in history to invest your money. Everything is so low that if you invest now, you could possible make a huge amount of money down the road.

    Great! I will start investing my money as soon as I have some!

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    While it goes without saying that a flourishing economy goes a long way to improving our standard or living, it is interesting to note that there are instances where economic prosperity does not always translate into good health.

    I disagree with this premise. A flourishing economy does not improve the standard of living of unskilled workers who have stable jobs because there is little upside for them while their expenses will increase.

    Flourishing economy --> job creation --> unemployed twentysomethings living with parents get a job --> newly employed twentysomethings move out of parents' home and rent their own housing --> household formation increases --> rental vacancy rates decline --> rents soar.

  • The Upside of an Economic Downturn?   17 years 28 weeks ago

    Most people don't realize that this might be the greatest time in history to invest your money. Everything is so low that if you invest now, you could possible make a huge amount of money down the road.