sounds like im not the only one. I pay all my bills and buy everything on a credit card - then pay it off in full at the end of each month. If i had a mortgage, i would totally pay it the same way. Get reward points for free - but yea, this strategy only works for very organized and responsible spenders. For large purchases I've gotten a card with a year long introductory 0% interest and then just pay off the item within the intro period. I'm sure the credit companies hate me.
By my calculations, 275 servings would
keep a family of four sustained for
almost a month.
You have to look at the nutritional information for each serving -- your "family of four for almost a month" would be living on about 1,100 Calories a day, and if you are in SHTF mode (say, cleaning/rebuilding after a natural disaster) you are going to need a lot more than that.
The frugal shopper can find a better path for medium- to long-term storage of inexpensive food (think bulk beans, rice, canned tuna; all purchased with coupons or when on sale).
HOLY COW TWO HOUSES!!(Cows are not holy,except in India) Show off...(just kidding) anyways you were right about runescape and soon after they got rid of the Wilderness they added a better way to trade ALL over runescape, the Grand Exchange. Oh and they updated their graphics so Runescape now looks AWESOME, except it's in beta phase(testing) for members only. =/ Also I kind of like the 3k - 30k limit, because people don't HACK anymore! :) So all those complainers about quitting are just the people who only do combat and don't do other skills there the people who always ask about your strength level and only care about damage when there is a BIG opportunity to other skills.
Those kits look really great. My friend and I run a food storage and emergency preparedness blog, and these are definitely some things we should look into. Thanks for the information!
Apple doesn't suck it has MUCH better security than windows, but it has a game deficiency which kinda sucks. BUT some of the most popular games they have on the Apple too such as Battlefield 2142 and the upcoming SPORE game based on evolution. Apple really is good for people who work and like to do blogs or videos, it's not really meant for gaming. There are actually some applications on the internet that allow Apple to play other games that they normally cannot play, because of their game deficiency(I THINK, keyword THINK). Oh and apple has released the iPod,iPhone,and iTouch which are BIG sellers making them the best company for music players and (possibly) phones.
You really shouldn't say just poor people play this game, that is really mean. Runescape is a FUN game and they even have a NEW graphical update in BETA for members only which will be for non-members once they are done from the beta phase(testing for bugs or any problems). The game is fun really once you start to learn, and you don't have to play everyday you can just play whenever you feel like it. Personally I only play on events such as when they host a Christmas or Halloween event(not really on the EXACT date as in real life but they give you a week) Runescape truly is a good game for people who don't have a really good computer. Also the website www.funorb.com has a lot of "minigames" on their website that is based on java AND comes from the company Jagex that made runescape. You can even use your runescape account and password, this is JAGEX's official website if you don't believe me go onto www.jagex.com
If you live in an urban area during a serious emergency that leads to a power outage, how could I possibly boil water to prepare the food? Just sayin...
[My adjustable rate mortgage was close to 9%. The amount I owed was low, so it wouldn't have paid me to refinance. (there are costs when you refinance.) My credit card company offered me 2.99% fixed for the life of the loan. So, I maxed out the card and paid off my mortgage. I'm making extra payments on the credit card so I can pay it off soon and NEVER BORROW MONEY AGAIN! ] THAT'S what I was thinking but I have to get my credit good enough to equal my remaining mortgage balance (less than 20k), but when you file for bankruptcy THEY CAN'T TAKE YOUR HOUSE! Only extra cars or items worth more than vital basic needs. One car depending on your state worth 5-7000 dollars isn't collectible. Ditch a ton of clothing and crap so your assets are less than $2000 and you're set to pay a creditcard bill at your leisure but no sweat on repossession unless you can't pay your property taxes. The balance to choose is between low mortgage interest payments but include insurance and other escrow fees, or pay that on a creditcard account with higher interest but no thread of being kicked out on the street and get cash rewards for being responsible when paying ontime.
My adjustable rate mortgage was close to 9%. The amount I owed was low, so it wouldn't have paid me to refinance. (there are costs when you refinance.)
My credit card company offered me 2.99% fixed for the life of the loan. So, I maxed out the card and paid off my mortgage. I'm making extra payments on the credit card so I can pay it off soon and NEVER BORROW MONEY AGAIN!
Actually, I am a person that pays my mortgage, car payment, utility bills, groceries, and pretty much anything else I can pay through my credit cards. I do this for one simple reason...to maximize the cash back and air mile rewards I receive.
Now this isn't an adventure for the poor budgeter or rabid spender. I am very disciplined. I take time every Monday evening (about 15 minutes) to pay my credit card...I use internet banking and make a payment for all that I charged on the card.
I have done this for a period of 5 years and the only penalty I once received was a $10 service charge for carrying a negative balance of .84 cents. I spilled coffee on a receipt and couldn't read the amount so I rounded to the nearest $...and apparently paid too much...and thus had a negative or credit balance for which my card charged me. A simple phone call to the card company gave me a one time waive and refund of this charge and a $5 'no hassel guarantee' payout!
I would warn...tread carefully...between home and work expenses I am charging about $8000 per month through on my card...one slip up and it could mean financial trouble.
Though to counteract that I do hold $8000 in easily accessible savings account. I believe that one should have cash on hand (or readily available) to equal their total credit limit.
I use my card to pay for everything - mortgage, fuel, entertainment, etc.
In my case, the rewards quickly add up to free flights, etc. Most recently, I was able to purchase an iPhone for my wife using the points.
It's definitely not for everyone but if you're disciplined enough to manage your cash flow well, it works out great. When you add in all the protections that AmEx throws in, it helps give you pretty good peace of mind as well.
Taking a lesson from the book "The Millionaire Next Door", I ruthlessly control consumption costs to free up cash flow.
I try to live like my parents or grandparents' generation did.
My house is 1/4 the size of the house where I grew up (in the past, plenty of families have lived just fine in 1,000 sqft. houses)
My interior furnishings are mostly hand-me-downs from dead relatives, along with some dorm room leftovers.
I don't finance any consumer purchase - I use credit cards to avoid carrying cash or a checkbook, but they never accrue interest.
Another strategy is to avoid "high-consumption" professions - most physicians/lawyers/bankers make modest wages compared to what they spend on their lifestyle.
My sister runs all of her monthly expenses through her credit card and automatically pays off the balance at the end of the month. It gets her a few free flights around Australia every year! If you can afford it and have automatic facilities or at least a strong will power, it can be very rewarding.
I just bought some "gift certificates" at Restaurant.com after Wantnot.net tipped me off to a 60% off sale there. So I paid something like $4 for $25 certificates. However I know there are some restrictions such as restaurants requiring you to spend $35 to use a $25 certificate and I haven't tried mine yet so I can't recommend it without qualification.
I am signed up for one mystery shop company that is not a scam, it's called Customer Perspectives, however they have never sent me any opportunities to try restaurants. I'm intrigued! Anyone care to share the names of reputable companies that do restaurants?
And by the way we usually cook our own rice at home too, because we like brown rice and not all restaurants have it, and of course to save a little. Altho not all Asian restaurants even charge for the white rice.
An oldie but a goodie. starting a cleaning business is still a great way to make money. I did it for 10 years and financed my education too. I have used Craigslist as well for my cleaning business and it really helps.
If you already get/have cable or satellite TV, then you don't need a converter box. The only time that you will need a converter box is if you are still going to use an antenna, either rabit ears or roof top.
Loved reading your blog :-) I am an artist who also sells on ebay :-) I had my work in galleries, but I had to have much higher prices. Gallery prices for my work ranged from $175 to $375- and those were low prices. LOL. Seriously. On ebay I sold originals for .99 cents. Talking about a crazy difference. But I continue to sell on ebay, I'm addicted I guess-lol.
"had a life so much better than yours that I doubt you could understand it."
"live better than you"
Sounds like you feel the need to justify just how awesome you are in your own private little fantasy world.
How about you learn that different people are happy doing different things? I guess your worldly travels haven't taught you that yet.
By the way, "saving nothing" and "owning nothing" will guarantee that when I am retired by 50 and jaunting around the planet, you'll still be working. Enjoy working until the day you die, "bitch."
I think hunter-gatherers (and certain cultures even today) stressed interpersonal relationships over saving-to-get-more-in-the-future. "Having more in the future" means/meant more "things." The drive to "get more things" strains relationships; therefore, solace is sought in having yet more "things," and materialism was born. I think a return to less-is-more is needed in our culture.
I agree that getting yourself into excessive amount of debt for 'wants' is a way of enslaving yourself. (Incidentally, there's actually a TV ad for a car that ends with the line 'makes you think who's in charge of this relationship?' ) If you can't do what you want to do in your life because 'you have to pay the bills' then you're a slave. (I know it's different if you have a family).
Like some people have already pointed out you can take this idea a bit further. A lot of people actually identify with material goods. For example they think that people will look down on them if they wear non-fashionable clothes, or they don't have an up to date mobile phone. If you've ever felt embarrassed about having an old car / phone / laptop / computer then on some level you have tied in your sense of self worth into the material possessions you 'own'.
Some people take this to the extreme where they literally lose their whole reason for being when they lose their wealth. This is what happens to those stock brokers who throw themselves off the top of tall buildings when they lose a lot of money. No money = sense of self worth = might as well kill myself.
Also the whole idea of putting everything on credit has been going on on a larger scale over the past decades... have you heard of the Credit Crunch? :)
As for the people who say greed is good? Tell that to all the millions of people that have to cope with higher food and fuel costs because of the speculation on the oil market. (It's a speculation bubble just like the house prices)
Finally... remember the 'solution' at the end of the movie? They blew up the credit card companies. I'm not advocating terrorism of course. Anyway the banks have dug their own graves... if you owe the bank $10,000 you have a problem. If you owe the bank $100,000 they have a problem.
The thing is: Brad Pitt had to get that ripped so Tyler Durden would look just how Jack has always wanted to look. The ultimate fantasy for almost every man. That body, that nonchalance, etc.
But still, it's a bit odd to think that 9 years ago Brad Pitt said things like: "We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
What you state is true, although I'm not sure of the numbers. What a sad lot of people still holed up in a FEMA trailer! These people are either plain stupid or ignorant. I would've got my butt out of a trailer a long time ago. No, scratch that - I would've never ended up in a government trailer!
This is what happens when people rely on government to solve problems rather than do it themselves.
sounds like im not the only one. I pay all my bills and buy everything on a credit card - then pay it off in full at the end of each month. If i had a mortgage, i would totally pay it the same way. Get reward points for free - but yea, this strategy only works for very organized and responsible spenders. For large purchases I've gotten a card with a year long introductory 0% interest and then just pay off the item within the intro period. I'm sure the credit companies hate me.
By my calculations, 275 servings would
keep a family of four sustained for
almost a month.
You have to look at the nutritional information for each serving -- your "family of four for almost a month" would be living on about 1,100 Calories a day, and if you are in SHTF mode (say, cleaning/rebuilding after a natural disaster) you are going to need a lot more than that.
The frugal shopper can find a better path for medium- to long-term storage of inexpensive food (think bulk beans, rice, canned tuna; all purchased with coupons or when on sale).
HOLY COW TWO HOUSES!!(Cows are not holy,except in India) Show off...(just kidding) anyways you were right about runescape and soon after they got rid of the Wilderness they added a better way to trade ALL over runescape, the Grand Exchange. Oh and they updated their graphics so Runescape now looks AWESOME, except it's in beta phase(testing) for members only. =/ Also I kind of like the 3k - 30k limit, because people don't HACK anymore! :) So all those complainers about quitting are just the people who only do combat and don't do other skills there the people who always ask about your strength level and only care about damage when there is a BIG opportunity to other skills.
Those kits look really great. My friend and I run a food storage and emergency preparedness blog, and these are definitely some things we should look into. Thanks for the information!
Suuuure...
OMG MY COUSIN IS ZEZIMA TOO NO WAY!Lol is he/she really?
Apple doesn't suck it has MUCH better security than windows, but it has a game deficiency which kinda sucks. BUT some of the most popular games they have on the Apple too such as Battlefield 2142 and the upcoming SPORE game based on evolution. Apple really is good for people who work and like to do blogs or videos, it's not really meant for gaming. There are actually some applications on the internet that allow Apple to play other games that they normally cannot play, because of their game deficiency(I THINK, keyword THINK). Oh and apple has released the iPod,iPhone,and iTouch which are BIG sellers making them the best company for music players and (possibly) phones.
You really shouldn't say just poor people play this game, that is really mean. Runescape is a FUN game and they even have a NEW graphical update in BETA for members only which will be for non-members once they are done from the beta phase(testing for bugs or any problems). The game is fun really once you start to learn, and you don't have to play everyday you can just play whenever you feel like it. Personally I only play on events such as when they host a Christmas or Halloween event(not really on the EXACT date as in real life but they give you a week) Runescape truly is a good game for people who don't have a really good computer. Also the website www.funorb.com has a lot of "minigames" on their website that is based on java AND comes from the company Jagex that made runescape. You can even use your runescape account and password, this is JAGEX's official website if you don't believe me go onto www.jagex.com
If you live in an urban area during a serious emergency that leads to a power outage, how could I possibly boil water to prepare the food? Just sayin...
[My adjustable rate mortgage was close to 9%. The amount I owed was low, so it wouldn't have paid me to refinance. (there are costs when you refinance.) My credit card company offered me 2.99% fixed for the life of the loan. So, I maxed out the card and paid off my mortgage. I'm making extra payments on the credit card so I can pay it off soon and NEVER BORROW MONEY AGAIN! ] THAT'S what I was thinking but I have to get my credit good enough to equal my remaining mortgage balance (less than 20k), but when you file for bankruptcy THEY CAN'T TAKE YOUR HOUSE! Only extra cars or items worth more than vital basic needs. One car depending on your state worth 5-7000 dollars isn't collectible. Ditch a ton of clothing and crap so your assets are less than $2000 and you're set to pay a creditcard bill at your leisure but no sweat on repossession unless you can't pay your property taxes. The balance to choose is between low mortgage interest payments but include insurance and other escrow fees, or pay that on a creditcard account with higher interest but no thread of being kicked out on the street and get cash rewards for being responsible when paying ontime.
My adjustable rate mortgage was close to 9%. The amount I owed was low, so it wouldn't have paid me to refinance. (there are costs when you refinance.)
My credit card company offered me 2.99% fixed for the life of the loan. So, I maxed out the card and paid off my mortgage. I'm making extra payments on the credit card so I can pay it off soon and NEVER BORROW MONEY AGAIN!
Actually, I am a person that pays my mortgage, car payment, utility bills, groceries, and pretty much anything else I can pay through my credit cards. I do this for one simple reason...to maximize the cash back and air mile rewards I receive.
Now this isn't an adventure for the poor budgeter or rabid spender. I am very disciplined. I take time every Monday evening (about 15 minutes) to pay my credit card...I use internet banking and make a payment for all that I charged on the card.
I have done this for a period of 5 years and the only penalty I once received was a $10 service charge for carrying a negative balance of .84 cents. I spilled coffee on a receipt and couldn't read the amount so I rounded to the nearest $...and apparently paid too much...and thus had a negative or credit balance for which my card charged me. A simple phone call to the card company gave me a one time waive and refund of this charge and a $5 'no hassel guarantee' payout!
I would warn...tread carefully...between home and work expenses I am charging about $8000 per month through on my card...one slip up and it could mean financial trouble.
Though to counteract that I do hold $8000 in easily accessible savings account. I believe that one should have cash on hand (or readily available) to equal their total credit limit.
I use my card to pay for everything - mortgage, fuel, entertainment, etc.
In my case, the rewards quickly add up to free flights, etc. Most recently, I was able to purchase an iPhone for my wife using the points.
It's definitely not for everyone but if you're disciplined enough to manage your cash flow well, it works out great. When you add in all the protections that AmEx throws in, it helps give you pretty good peace of mind as well.
Taking a lesson from the book "The Millionaire Next Door", I ruthlessly control consumption costs to free up cash flow.
I try to live like my parents or grandparents' generation did.
My house is 1/4 the size of the house where I grew up (in the past, plenty of families have lived just fine in 1,000 sqft. houses)
My interior furnishings are mostly hand-me-downs from dead relatives, along with some dorm room leftovers.
I don't finance any consumer purchase - I use credit cards to avoid carrying cash or a checkbook, but they never accrue interest.
Another strategy is to avoid "high-consumption" professions - most physicians/lawyers/bankers make modest wages compared to what they spend on their lifestyle.
My income may be modest, but not my net worth.
My sister runs all of her monthly expenses through her credit card and automatically pays off the balance at the end of the month. It gets her a few free flights around Australia every year! If you can afford it and have automatic facilities or at least a strong will power, it can be very rewarding.
I just bought some "gift certificates" at Restaurant.com after Wantnot.net tipped me off to a 60% off sale there. So I paid something like $4 for $25 certificates. However I know there are some restrictions such as restaurants requiring you to spend $35 to use a $25 certificate and I haven't tried mine yet so I can't recommend it without qualification.
I am signed up for one mystery shop company that is not a scam, it's called Customer Perspectives, however they have never sent me any opportunities to try restaurants. I'm intrigued! Anyone care to share the names of reputable companies that do restaurants?
And by the way we usually cook our own rice at home too, because we like brown rice and not all restaurants have it, and of course to save a little. Altho not all Asian restaurants even charge for the white rice.
An oldie but a goodie. starting a cleaning business is still a great way to make money. I did it for 10 years and financed my education too. I have used Craigslist as well for my cleaning business and it really helps.
If interested you can contact me on my site.
If you already get/have cable or satellite TV, then you don't need a converter box. The only time that you will need a converter box is if you are still going to use an antenna, either rabit ears or roof top.
Loved reading your blog :-) I am an artist who also sells on ebay :-) I had my work in galleries, but I had to have much higher prices. Gallery prices for my work ranged from $175 to $375- and those were low prices. LOL. Seriously. On ebay I sold originals for .99 cents. Talking about a crazy difference. But I continue to sell on ebay, I'm addicted I guess-lol.
Seriously, you're a jackass.
"had a life so much better than yours that I doubt you could understand it."
"live better than you"
Sounds like you feel the need to justify just how awesome you are in your own private little fantasy world.
How about you learn that different people are happy doing different things? I guess your worldly travels haven't taught you that yet.
By the way, "saving nothing" and "owning nothing" will guarantee that when I am retired by 50 and jaunting around the planet, you'll still be working. Enjoy working until the day you die, "bitch."
Does Mystery shopping actually works?
Isn't it a scam?
and if is not how can I get in it, where should I start of go, call?
Thank you in advance.
I think hunter-gatherers (and certain cultures even today) stressed interpersonal relationships over saving-to-get-more-in-the-future. "Having more in the future" means/meant more "things." The drive to "get more things" strains relationships; therefore, solace is sought in having yet more "things," and materialism was born. I think a return to less-is-more is needed in our culture.
I agree that getting yourself into excessive amount of debt for 'wants' is a way of enslaving yourself. (Incidentally, there's actually a TV ad for a car that ends with the line 'makes you think who's in charge of this relationship?' ) If you can't do what you want to do in your life because 'you have to pay the bills' then you're a slave. (I know it's different if you have a family).
Like some people have already pointed out you can take this idea a bit further. A lot of people actually identify with material goods. For example they think that people will look down on them if they wear non-fashionable clothes, or they don't have an up to date mobile phone. If you've ever felt embarrassed about having an old car / phone / laptop / computer then on some level you have tied in your sense of self worth into the material possessions you 'own'.
Some people take this to the extreme where they literally lose their whole reason for being when they lose their wealth. This is what happens to those stock brokers who throw themselves off the top of tall buildings when they lose a lot of money. No money = sense of self worth = might as well kill myself.
Also the whole idea of putting everything on credit has been going on on a larger scale over the past decades... have you heard of the Credit Crunch? :)
As for the people who say greed is good? Tell that to all the millions of people that have to cope with higher food and fuel costs because of the speculation on the oil market. (It's a speculation bubble just like the house prices)
Finally... remember the 'solution' at the end of the movie? They blew up the credit card companies. I'm not advocating terrorism of course. Anyway the banks have dug their own graves... if you owe the bank $10,000 you have a problem. If you owe the bank $100,000 they have a problem.
British Household Debt is biggest in History:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/28/cndebt...
IMF to investigate American Financial System
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,562291,00.html
The thing is: Brad Pitt had to get that ripped so Tyler Durden would look just how Jack has always wanted to look. The ultimate fantasy for almost every man. That body, that nonchalance, etc.
But still, it's a bit odd to think that 9 years ago Brad Pitt said things like: "We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
Still, great, great movie and actors.
Mike,
What you state is true, although I'm not sure of the numbers. What a sad lot of people still holed up in a FEMA trailer! These people are either plain stupid or ignorant. I would've got my butt out of a trailer a long time ago. No, scratch that - I would've never ended up in a government trailer!
This is what happens when people rely on government to solve problems rather than do it themselves.