Recent comments

  • College Student Eating Survival Guide (Until Spring Break)   16 years 50 weeks ago

    We went to car & trailer lots. They often had free hotdogs, soda & chips. We just wandered around, asked questions, etc. Some dealerships have popcorn everyday. Costco was another favorite. There is a local hardware store that often has coffee & doughnuts outside the door, and hot cider & cookies inside! Check the events pages in the newspaper (on online) and you will often find things where free food is available. For us, it was a personal challenge to see how many meals we could eat without having to put out any money.

  • Dumbest packaging ever?   16 years 50 weeks ago

    Some schools, sadly, don't allow for utensils in school lunches. A friend's child was repremanded for a metal spoon (was told to bring plastic) because it could be used to hurt someonem, so gogurt and other convenience packaging is the only way to try and send things for lunch. Kids have been expelled over butter knives.

  • Make Your Own Moon Sand, Dirt Cheap   16 years 50 weeks ago

    add more sand. A lot more. And for colored sand, try a pet store. They often carry colored sand for hermit crabs. I have founf large bags of colored sand at Home Depot and Lowes though.

  • netSpend: The Story of the Visa Debit Card We Did Not Apply For   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I don't understand why you were sent this card without applying but there would be no threat of your money being taken. This is a pre-paid card and you would first have to load it with your own funds. I have one of these cards and it has been the BEST thing that has come out. It gives me the convenience of using a debit card without the risk of going in debt. Also it frees me from having to use a bank. I do not trust the practices of banks and I feel they set people up for overdrafts in order to hit them with penalties.

  • netSpend: The Story of the Visa Debit Card We Did Not Apply For   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I just got a card in the mail. Thanks for sharing your story, I went online to find out what this Visa is all about.

  • Make Your Own Moon Sand, Dirt Cheap   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I have tried this recipe twice and keep ending up with a goopy mess. What am I doing wrong? And, can you give me any suggestions?

  • Make Your Own Moon Sand, Dirt Cheap   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I have tried this recipe twice and keep ending up with a goopy mess. What am I doing wrong? And, can you give me any suggestions?

  • Living Without Air-Conditioning Can Save Big Bucks This Summer   16 years 50 weeks ago

    It is over 110 degrees right now in Central Louisiana. Many elderly and or sick individuals are dying from heat exposure as well as their pets. These people are not foregoing ac just to prove they are better able to "tough it out". For many it is a matter of paying for prescriptions or electricity. Those who do have power use fans and that seems to kill them quicker. If this weather is hot enough to kill people then you are probably not being sensible. In the 70's it used to get all the way up to 88 and my parents would remark that it was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. It is that hot in the morning now. Use sense people.

  • netSpend: The Story of the Visa Debit Card We Did Not Apply For   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I've read the comments by some other people on here and would like to respond.

    #1- You are lucky to be in a position to have the financial freedom to turn something like this down.

    #2- We are also the "working poor" and have had an account with this company for 5+ years. Never once have we had any problems. They have EXCELLENT customer service and we are so happy with our experience.

    We could go out and get a regular bank account but they charge OUTRAGEOUS fees for everything. That "free" checking account you have isn't actually free. Whenever (if ever) you overdraft you get charged a $37.00 fee for each transaction or everyday your account is overdrawn. When I overdraft (if I ever do) I get charged NOTHING! If the money isn't there, it isn't there. Your bank allows charges to go through even if there is no money in your account to cover it. My "bank" (yes, it is a real bank) doesn't allow that.

    I may be part of what you feel is a lower class, but my grasp on money and how to manage it has evolved greatly since we were given a chance by this company.

    It's understandable that you would be upset by an unsolicited card, but you shouldn't go around blasting a company that is doing great things for others.

    And yes, your information was sold to that company. That's the only way they could have gotten it. Don't be mad at them....get mad at the people who sold the info.

  • Eight Natural Ways to Make Water More Flavorful   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I like the ginger idea. We drink tons of filtered (Brita) water. We have generic soda (seltzer) water on hand when we want something different, and often add splash of that to juice or wine. For water the only things we have tried is lemons, limes, small splash of berry juice, also make "sun tea".

  • Stay Thin and Save   16 years 50 weeks ago

    Well Daniel i don't like fat girls at all. My girl is not eating fast food because she knows what fat means. Bad for the heart and body.

  • And did you do it with respect?   16 years 50 weeks ago

    The saying I always like when I'm about to let something go shoddily is "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it again?" -- that usually kicks my butt to do it a little better.

  • How Old Were You When You Started Saving? (Answer and Win!)   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I started getting allowance when I was about 7. $5 every other week. I had to pay 10% as tithing to my church, and put 50% in to a savings account. The same rules applied for any other money I got too.

  • How to Save Gas, $30,000 and Your Pride   16 years 50 weeks ago

    What a great observation; most people don't think much about the added gas-mileage benefits of a manual transmission auto. They should!

    In addition to driving a "stick," here are more tips for saving gas:

    How To Save Gas

    Happy fuel-saving!

  • How to Deal With Collection Agencies   16 years 50 weeks ago

    It is my understanding that they can refuse but if you can show that you offered them a payment and sue them that the debt will be erased!

  • Eight Natural Ways to Make Water More Flavorful   16 years 50 weeks ago

    Some of us have been connected to public water that is anything but refreshing with all of the extra ingredants used. Icky tasting at times ;-(

  • 12 Affordable Ingredients that Add Gourmet Flair to any Meal   16 years 50 weeks ago

    My Great Late Aunt used to make a very spicey Zuchini spread we enjoyed over creme cheese and crackers. It was the color of lime jello & I would swear it had red hots in it, but she stated none were used. It was a very peppery tasting treat that has been lost to the ages. Does anyone have a recepie for such? Thanks.

  • My best posts that got no attention   16 years 50 weeks ago

    @Carolyn:

    Thanks for the kind words!

  • My best posts that got no attention   16 years 50 weeks ago

    Happy 2 years, Philip! You're my very favorite WiseBread contributor.

  • 16 Ways to Make Your Clothes Last Longer Without Spending Big   16 years 50 weeks ago

    My dentist taught me that your own spit will take out your own blood. Obviously for smaller spots, but it really works! Pretreating a greasy stain with Dawn dishsoap works wonders, as well.

  • 21 great uses for beer   16 years 50 weeks ago

    Not sure using beer for some of these things is very economical, like soaking feet, in unless of course it's sunk beer you'd have to throw it out any away.

    Olivia

  • I Won't Eat or Spend While Standing Up   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I laughed out loud at the image of myself sitting in a 1/2 filled cart, going over my purchases. Then I re-read it and felt so silly.

  • College Student Eating Survival Guide (Until Spring Break)   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I've worked at a couple of universities, as well as attending one. I'm always peeved when I walk past students who are standing outside smoking, talking about their great weekend (seeing a band and getting drunk - at the very least), then complaining how they're broke.
    Smoking and drinking are expensive. Spend your money (wisely - use coupons and buy things on sale. You're never too young to start) to buy food first. Get a job. Try campus jobs. They're often designed to work around class schedules. And in every department I've worked in, the people have always looked out for the students by bringing extra food, etc. Some have even been able to grab house-sitting jobs in the process. There's no reason for a young, healthy person with no kids, mortgage, car payment, etc. to be on food stamps because they don't have time for a job. Save that benefit for folks who really, truly need it.
    "Donating" plasma works, too. If you go the max number of times a week, you can get a couple hundred dollars a month, plus free immunizations. I've done it myself in a pinch.
    Panhandling? Uh-uh. There's always a better way.

  • Top 5 Ways to Hustle Free Drinks   16 years 50 weeks ago

    I love free drinks! My favorite place to get free drinks is lectures. I am a nerd.

  • My best posts that got no attention   16 years 50 weeks ago

    On my old blogs. I often had good posts that were ignored. I think I will try to repost like you did and see what happens.