Great post - it brings up such a common point among so many people. I agree that financial independence totally depends on the person, and what kinds of goals they have for their life. I recently read a great blog that talked about using strategies for money making that positively affect your happiness. So rather than focusing on the "number" for your financial independence, focus instead on strategies to increase your happiness when it comes to money and money making. For more happiness tips and advice, check out the Happiness Project Blog: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/
There's nothing "controversial" about riding on sidewalks: It's unsafe, and usually illegal. Bikes are vehicles, and belong on a road surface or designated pathway.
Apart from the hazard bikes pose to pedestrians, cars have a hard time seeing bikes on a sidewalk. That makes crossing the inevitable driveway or parking lot entry quite dangerous. Additionally, riding on the sidewalk reduces the distance between a rider and a car backing out into a roadway. We need that reaction time, because drivers often aren't paying attention. And they're certainly not looking for traffic on a sidewalk.
I don't mean to be legalistic about this. If it's appropriate to hop up on to a sidewalk for a moment -- perhaps to avoid a road hazard or because it affords a safer turn into your destination -- go for it. But we no more belong on sidewalks than do cars.
Apart from that, Jennifer, I'm glad to see such thoughtful articles here on Wise Bread. Here's wishing you a safe commute in this beautiful autumn weather.
To Andy - my recommendation is to save the earbuds for the bus and the office. You need both ears and both eyes listening and looking for what's going on around you. My opinion after 3500+ miles of bike commuting.
Other tips:
For routes- GMap-pedometer.com or bikely.com to test route options. GMap-ped is my stand-by. Using it in "runner/pedestrian" mode will find routes through non-road trails. Both offer elevation profiles of the selected route, something very useful to commuters looking to avoid steep climbs (and those looking for hills to climb.)
Gear: rear-view mirror. For commuting, my money is on a bar-mounted mirror rather than a helmet mount. For safety gear, a mirror comes up right there between good brakes and good lights.
Sidewalks: It is legal in some jurisdictions to ride sidewalks. I move to the sidewalk when I think I will be an impediment to traffic (primarily hills) and won't be a threat to pedestrians. When I can ride the roadway, I do. By doing so, I am more visible to traffic at intersections, and I have more space/time to react to side-street and driveway traffic. Also, ride in the direction of traffic, even on sidewalks. There are a couple of short stretches of my commute where it makes sense to ride the sidewalk on the left side of the road, but I do so with extra caution.
I would think that ADDING all those programs TO the laptop or computer would seemingly make it SLOWER...you know what I'm saying? yes, in the long run it's good to have things scanning your computer, but in the end, you're going to be sitting and sitting waiting for the computer to start up, because of ALL those programs!!
Are there rules on where you can lock up your bike? I have started riding my bike to work as well, and since there is no bike rack at the location, I lock it against a street sign post. I wasn't sure that this was legal or not.
I did an online chat with T-Mobile about the student discount and was told it's a 6% discount for my university, but that I have to sign a new two-year contract. No thanks.
Use coupon code: STACK at the checkout and save 20% off your entire order and Soap.com and 15% off your entire order at Diapers.com, free shipping on orders over $25
When it comes to food I guess I fall into this trap. I have a really hard time buying generic food. What worries me is that the ingredients won't be as good of quality or it will be in a factory that is dirty or does things half @ssed. I think, there has to be some reason that this is cheaper and not a good one.
Growing up I lived with an aunt who rented out rooms in her old craftsman style house. I loved the company of all the people and and it truly felt like a home. Also as a child being around only adults I think it helped me become more well behaved and mature.
While I agree with a most of the stuff here, I have to say that cleaning registries is a risky business, and should be handled with care - since deleting the wrong registries can brick your system. So before cleaning registries, always create a system restore point.
If you want to delete stuff throuroughly, use revo uninstaller, which can further delete unneeded registries from the uninstall
program booting times often depend on the speed of the hard drive as well. most hard drives today are 7200 rpm, which is quite speedy. if you have an old hard drive of 5400 rpm, its worthwhile to upgrade
I see this posting is from Jan 2009. It is now September 2010 and my house, that I put 20% down on, is now underwater even more than last year, here in Florida. In fact, it is worth less than we bought it for 11 years ago -- back before the big boon. My husband learned last week that he may be out of a job within the next 2 weeks. We had a 20 year mortgage with a small amount of equity taken out for some hurricane damage not covered by the high deductible policies down here and some other home improvements. We thought the timing for retirement would be okay but now that has all changed. The house is not rentable as shown by the ever increasing empty houses in this once very nice neighborhood. It looks more and more like moving into an apartment and filing bankruptcy may be the last hope to try to save enough money down the road so we don't wipe out our savings completely. I don't think things have quite bottomed out yet here and local real estate analysts state that they don't expect values in Central Florida especially to recover to the boon days for another 20 to 30 years. No high interest rate here but increasingly higher taxes and insurance alongside ever decreasing values and high unemployment.
If your number is purchased from someone "affiliated" with the telemarketer, and you had a "business relationship" with that affiliate, i.e. you called them or bought something or pretty much had anything to do with them, then you can be called by the all of the affiliates of that company for one year from the business relationship's last transaction and DNC can't do anything about it.
I could definitely learn more but I'm not that close to Atlanta. I'd love to see the workshop closer to Appalachia. I live by the border of WVa, NC, and TN in SW VA.
Great post - it brings up such a common point among so many people. I agree that financial independence totally depends on the person, and what kinds of goals they have for their life. I recently read a great blog that talked about using strategies for money making that positively affect your happiness. So rather than focusing on the "number" for your financial independence, focus instead on strategies to increase your happiness when it comes to money and money making. For more happiness tips and advice, check out the Happiness Project Blog: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/
Here's a great deal for the college student - George Foreman 36" Grill and Sandwich Maker (and free site-to-store shipping!):
http://www.buxr.com/deal/george-foreman-36-grill-and-sandwich-maker_62439
There's nothing "controversial" about riding on sidewalks: It's unsafe, and usually illegal. Bikes are vehicles, and belong on a road surface or designated pathway.
Apart from the hazard bikes pose to pedestrians, cars have a hard time seeing bikes on a sidewalk. That makes crossing the inevitable driveway or parking lot entry quite dangerous. Additionally, riding on the sidewalk reduces the distance between a rider and a car backing out into a roadway. We need that reaction time, because drivers often aren't paying attention. And they're certainly not looking for traffic on a sidewalk.
I don't mean to be legalistic about this. If it's appropriate to hop up on to a sidewalk for a moment -- perhaps to avoid a road hazard or because it affords a safer turn into your destination -- go for it. But we no more belong on sidewalks than do cars.
Apart from that, Jennifer, I'm glad to see such thoughtful articles here on Wise Bread. Here's wishing you a safe commute in this beautiful autumn weather.
I've heard that Banana Republic has a 15% discount for students if they show their ids.
To Andy - my recommendation is to save the earbuds for the bus and the office. You need both ears and both eyes listening and looking for what's going on around you. My opinion after 3500+ miles of bike commuting.
Other tips:
For routes- GMap-pedometer.com or bikely.com to test route options. GMap-ped is my stand-by. Using it in "runner/pedestrian" mode will find routes through non-road trails. Both offer elevation profiles of the selected route, something very useful to commuters looking to avoid steep climbs (and those looking for hills to climb.)
Gear: rear-view mirror. For commuting, my money is on a bar-mounted mirror rather than a helmet mount. For safety gear, a mirror comes up right there between good brakes and good lights.
Sidewalks: It is legal in some jurisdictions to ride sidewalks. I move to the sidewalk when I think I will be an impediment to traffic (primarily hills) and won't be a threat to pedestrians. When I can ride the roadway, I do. By doing so, I am more visible to traffic at intersections, and I have more space/time to react to side-street and driveway traffic. Also, ride in the direction of traffic, even on sidewalks. There are a couple of short stretches of my commute where it makes sense to ride the sidewalk on the left side of the road, but I do so with extra caution.
Yes, these assumptions can be destructive and disastrous.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fatal
Fatal? Really?
I would think that ADDING all those programs TO the laptop or computer would seemingly make it SLOWER...you know what I'm saying? yes, in the long run it's good to have things scanning your computer, but in the end, you're going to be sitting and sitting waiting for the computer to start up, because of ALL those programs!!
Are there rules on where you can lock up your bike? I have started riding my bike to work as well, and since there is no bike rack at the location, I lock it against a street sign post. I wasn't sure that this was legal or not.
I did an online chat with T-Mobile about the student discount and was told it's a 6% discount for my university, but that I have to sign a new two-year contract. No thanks.
The Adobe discounts are really great, though.
Can also add that using one ear bud instead of two when listening to music and ridnig... that way you can hear the cars coming...
Use coupon code: STACK at the checkout and save 20% off your entire order and Soap.com and 15% off your entire order at Diapers.com, free shipping on orders over $25
When it comes to food I guess I fall into this trap. I have a really hard time buying generic food. What worries me is that the ingredients won't be as good of quality or it will be in a factory that is dirty or does things half @ssed. I think, there has to be some reason that this is cheaper and not a good one.
Growing up I lived with an aunt who rented out rooms in her old craftsman style house. I loved the company of all the people and and it truly felt like a home. Also as a child being around only adults I think it helped me become more well behaved and mature.
While I agree with a most of the stuff here, I have to say that cleaning registries is a risky business, and should be handled with care - since deleting the wrong registries can brick your system. So before cleaning registries, always create a system restore point.
If you want to delete stuff throuroughly, use revo uninstaller, which can further delete unneeded registries from the uninstall
program booting times often depend on the speed of the hard drive as well. most hard drives today are 7200 rpm, which is quite speedy. if you have an old hard drive of 5400 rpm, its worthwhile to upgrade
I like this deal: http://www.buxr.com/deal/diapers-com-30-cash-back-on-diapers-w-all-75-or...
Nice to get something back when buying so many diapers. Thanks Buxr!
They are upset because someone is stamping their names onto an account and sending the card to them.
You can shop with cash, you don't need a credit card.
Just because you benefited from the invasion doesn't mean it's not still an invasion.
I see this posting is from Jan 2009. It is now September 2010 and my house, that I put 20% down on, is now underwater even more than last year, here in Florida. In fact, it is worth less than we bought it for 11 years ago -- back before the big boon. My husband learned last week that he may be out of a job within the next 2 weeks. We had a 20 year mortgage with a small amount of equity taken out for some hurricane damage not covered by the high deductible policies down here and some other home improvements. We thought the timing for retirement would be okay but now that has all changed. The house is not rentable as shown by the ever increasing empty houses in this once very nice neighborhood. It looks more and more like moving into an apartment and filing bankruptcy may be the last hope to try to save enough money down the road so we don't wipe out our savings completely. I don't think things have quite bottomed out yet here and local real estate analysts state that they don't expect values in Central Florida especially to recover to the boon days for another 20 to 30 years. No high interest rate here but increasingly higher taxes and insurance alongside ever decreasing values and high unemployment.
If your number is purchased from someone "affiliated" with the telemarketer, and you had a "business relationship" with that affiliate, i.e. you called them or bought something or pretty much had anything to do with them, then you can be called by the all of the affiliates of that company for one year from the business relationship's last transaction and DNC can't do anything about it.
This is a good deal: http://www.buxr.com/deal/chadwicks-10-off-40-purchase-20-off-60-purchase...
I could definitely learn more but I'm not that close to Atlanta. I'd love to see the workshop closer to Appalachia. I live by the border of WVa, NC, and TN in SW VA.
Christine
dazed1821@aol.com
Buxr seems like a great site. I like this one: http://www.buxr.com/deal/reebok-30-off-sitewide-free-shipping_62389
30% + Free Shipping?! I am all in! Thanks Buxr!
Great article. It was a good reminder of what's important and what I needed to read today so thanks.
Being content - the most important living tip of all, frugal or not. Well said!