Thanks for the information. I think you are right on about people listening to friends that are in a different business situation and using that advice to set up their entity.
I have made that mistake in the past.
Establishing a relationship with a tax professional is the key. It is money well spent.
I have a mentor who says "It's irresponsible, sloppy stewardship of your money, if you don't educate yourself on taxes". I would include knowing and using the correct entity for your business as part of that education.
It's amazing how things change. I remember a few years ago that I was taught to mortgage my house to the max and use those 2nd, 3rd, 4th position lines of credit to invest in more real estate and on and on. Even with positive cash flow it became a house of cards.
These are all great tips. However, I would rather sit in an apartment with air conditioning than accept that i will be hot. So would everyone else. That's why AC units sell so well.
The steps that Carrie mentioned for credit card use mitigates much of the danger. I should mention that I would rather use credit cards b/c of the protection they provide; however, everyone should use what they feel comfortable with, after educating themselves on the pros and cons of their choice of plastic. Thanks for commenting!
If you paid off your mortgage completely then you wouldn't have any more minimum payments so I don't see a problem with what the article is saying. Also, helocs are fairly easy to get and most places just require that you have equity in your home. Retired people can get helocs, but it is a good idea to set one up before you actually need it.
I have been told that going into store dumpsters is illegal and stores don't want to be liable for people's safety either. How do you navigate the laws regarding this? Also there are communities (mostly more well to-do ones like Oakbrook & Hinsdale)that have anti-scavaging laws even with trash that is put out at the curb. Your thoughts on this?
I find the concept of freeganism interesting and something I may try myself. However, my husband told me that going into store dumpsters is against the law and the stores can prosecute you for theft if you are caught. Also, they don't want to risk beig sued if you are injured crawling around in their dumpster. Is this true? Several of the wealthier communities around Chicago also have anti-foraging laws, i.e., even if it's something that's been put out at the curb as trash you aren't allowed to take it unless you are authorized (hold a license to do so) as a waste manangement company. How are freegans able to navigate these laws and stay out of jail and/or being ticketed or fined?
If I added either some minced fresh garlic or garlic powder to this, would I have something akin to aioli? Or is that a completely different recipe? I always thought it was pretty much garlic mayo.
I've become a huge fan of Rocco DiSpirito's low-cal mayonaise, from his book "Now Eat This." It's not traditional by any means (no eggs, no oil), but it passes off as the real thing, quite convincingly, using only natural ingredients... in particular, Greek yogurt, cornstarch, and a combination of vinegar, mustard, and a little zero-calorie sweetner (Truvia=stevia=natural). I highly recommend it, so you can eat all the carrots you'd like.
Matt
Without checking every item, I would think it to be one of two items. The yeast was having trouble producing or the still was not running at optimal.
Yeast: Was there any chance the water has changed? Was there any chlorine still in the water? You can heat it to boil, then let it cool down enough to pitch. Chlorine evaporates lower then boiling temps. Did you use the same supply of water? Distilled water has almost no nutrients for the yeast, whereas the ground water may have ideal nutrients in your area. That is why Kentucky is used in the states, the water. Was the temp correct when you pitched the yeast? If it was too hot, it could have killed or damaged the yeast and slowed it down. If it was too cold, it could have started to reproduce to slow, and other lil nasties started to grow and competed for the food supplies, sugar.
Still: If you run it too hot, the water will not condense out before it gets to the condenser unit. It will simply stay in vapour form until it drips out the tip.
I would suggest tasting the wash. If there is any sugar left, then its yeast. If it is dry, no sweetness, then check the still setup.
If you are using Turbo Yeast, you can set the recipe to make about 18% alcohol. If you have ideal conditions, you can tweak out about 20%. Try 13 pounds of sugar, 5 gallons water and pitch the Turbo Yeast before adding. You should get about 18%. That will give you, not quite, but close to double the output.
This worked pretty well for me - the option with the dry ice, that is. I had a small dent in my hood that my auto repair spot - http://www.leonardsgarageandmuffler.com - quoted me a price to fix, then I figured I may as well try it myself. It took a bit longer than I expected, but the dent is nowhere to be found.
We tried FSBO on our condo.It was clutter-free and move-in condition. We tried an open house-twice. After a couple months, we ended up handing it over to a realtor who sold it, but for less than what we paid. At that point, we had already moved out and the condo was vacant. The town had lost many jobs and there were at least 5 homes for sale on every street. So, we had alot of competition. We are open to FSBO, should we lose our jobs again!!
Holy crap, is there anything about the process that you don't know?
How long have you been doing this?
The 23%-er I bought was on a whim. It was eight bucks shipped. A far cry from the $1.07 baker's yeast I got from the grocery. Before I settle on a usual recipe, I just wanted to try a best case / worse case scenario. I'll post the yield results when they come. The batch with the 23% should stop bubbling middle of next week.
When you say cold tea... I am assuming you mean like Lipton?
Do you think it would be beneficial enough to throw a couple tea bags in the first batch (recipe on here) now, or should I just let it ride as is?
I am a big fan of simplicity, and the recipe here is about as simple as it gets. The whole process of the Alcobase Extreme was not bad, but the whole charcoal / defoamer / clarifier steps seem to be a bit extreme. But throwing a tea bag in the mix would be simple enough.
As always, Zorcy, thanks for the time and knowledge.
If you're ever in Central Florida, I'll buy you a beverage for all the help...
Definitely the adoption fee of my sweet mixed breed dog, Dusty 11 years ago. We had just lost the other love of our life, a beautiful lab mix. He brought me out of a deep depression.
I like the pickle article but couldn't you just take the juice from the pickle jar when you've finished off your store bout pickles, boil it and pour it back into the jar with some fresh sliced up veggies? Beats dumping it down the drain I'd think.
As a wardrobe consultant I make my living helping women get the most from their clothes. I use the dyeing techniques all the time - not just to renew black garments, but also to refresh navy, brown or other dark colors. Dyeing a bunch of different brown or navy pieces together brings them all much closer to matching too, giving you more mix/match potential.
I've also dyed white things fun new colors to mask a dingy, over-used look. Once, in a down moment, I dyed several sets of dingy undies into sexy new shades - they looked brand new! I've also dyed black/white print pieces - the black stays black and the white takes the color - a whole new look to the garment. I sometimes throw in a white T shirt, too, so I have a matching top for my new creation.
I'm a big fan of changing buttons to freshen a garment. Any button will stay on longer if you put a drop of Fray Check (clear liquid ravel preventer - buy it in fabric stores) on the threads to sort of glue them together. I also put a bead of Fray Check on the stitching of a buttonhole to prevent future raveling, but be sparing - you dont want a big discolored blob on your fabric. Test it first in an inconspicuous area of the garment.
In California, the kitchen used to prepare foods for sale commercially need to be made in a commercial kitchen with all its applicable sanitation laws. But part-time / small-scale food preparation businesses can "rent" unused kitchen time from local restaurants. You can bake a few hundred cookies in the morning before the restaurant opens.
Are we talking about paying it off early, or paying it off at all?
If we're talking about paying it off early I'd disagree with two points:
*Security against income loss - you still have to pay the minimum payment regardless if your balance is going to be paid off on time or early. So if you lose your income, you either have a lower mortgage balance or that much more in savings you could tap to pay your bills
*home equity as emergency fund - good luck getting approved if you have no job
I live in southeast Georgia and because of the economical situation and my unemployment as of present, I have been going without using the air at all this year. It gets very hot here and very humid as well but am trying to finfd ways to keep comfortable thru this sweltering heat. I use a dehumidifier to take out the moisture in the air and then have box fans and ceiling fans thru out the house. AT night, I open the bedroom window when humidity and heat is lower and have it blow in the window on me. The only thing I worry about is getting mold and mildew in my house. Anyone have any other suggestions to stay cooler? I simply can not affordd to use the air at all...
Hi all, hopefully this didn't come through twice as I messed the first up. I am writing you for some advice. I have made appx 7 batches and have used the recipe on this site (8lbs table sugar, 5 gallon water, 1 tablespoon turbo yeast) every time. Every time I have had consistent results that I am very happy with. Unfortunately, the batch I attempted to make last night did not turn out NEARLY as strong as my previous 7 batches had. I have been used to getting appx 3-4 cups of very strong alcohol and then it gradually tapering. With the batch I ran through the still last night, the first (and remaining) that came out of the still was unbelievable weak?! It was literally weaker at start than when I normally stop my distillation of previous batches. I can't for the life of me figure out what I could have done to cause this as all the variable have remained the same (same quantiy/volume of sugar, water, yeast). I know that it was fermenting as I had bubbles/burping on my air lock. I did only let it ferment for 6 days which I know isn't long BUT it is turbo yeast AND the last batch I made I only allowed to ferment for 6 days. Any thoughts/ideas on what I could have done or what could have caused? Thank you for your advice!!!
Hemingway, great artist that he was, was also a bullshit artist. When he was "starving" in Paris, he was really living quite well off of Hadley's income which was the equivalent of a mid-level administrator's at the time. When Hadley's investments went belly up, Hem found himself a wealthier dame. I've done the same thing Philip Brewer has done and it's worked for me.
Joel,
Thanks for the information. I think you are right on about people listening to friends that are in a different business situation and using that advice to set up their entity.
I have made that mistake in the past.
Establishing a relationship with a tax professional is the key. It is money well spent.
I have a mentor who says "It's irresponsible, sloppy stewardship of your money, if you don't educate yourself on taxes". I would include knowing and using the correct entity for your business as part of that education.
It's amazing how things change. I remember a few years ago that I was taught to mortgage my house to the max and use those 2nd, 3rd, 4th position lines of credit to invest in more real estate and on and on. Even with positive cash flow it became a house of cards.
These are all great tips. However, I would rather sit in an apartment with air conditioning than accept that i will be hot. So would everyone else. That's why AC units sell so well.
The steps that Carrie mentioned for credit card use mitigates much of the danger. I should mention that I would rather use credit cards b/c of the protection they provide; however, everyone should use what they feel comfortable with, after educating themselves on the pros and cons of their choice of plastic. Thanks for commenting!
to Kevin M:
If you paid off your mortgage completely then you wouldn't have any more minimum payments so I don't see a problem with what the article is saying. Also, helocs are fairly easy to get and most places just require that you have equity in your home. Retired people can get helocs, but it is a good idea to set one up before you actually need it.
I have been told that going into store dumpsters is illegal and stores don't want to be liable for people's safety either. How do you navigate the laws regarding this? Also there are communities (mostly more well to-do ones like Oakbrook & Hinsdale)that have anti-scavaging laws even with trash that is put out at the curb. Your thoughts on this?
I find the concept of freeganism interesting and something I may try myself. However, my husband told me that going into store dumpsters is against the law and the stores can prosecute you for theft if you are caught. Also, they don't want to risk beig sued if you are injured crawling around in their dumpster. Is this true? Several of the wealthier communities around Chicago also have anti-foraging laws, i.e., even if it's something that's been put out at the curb as trash you aren't allowed to take it unless you are authorized (hold a license to do so) as a waste manangement company. How are freegans able to navigate these laws and stay out of jail and/or being ticketed or fined?
If I added either some minced fresh garlic or garlic powder to this, would I have something akin to aioli? Or is that a completely different recipe? I always thought it was pretty much garlic mayo.
I've become a huge fan of Rocco DiSpirito's low-cal mayonaise, from his book "Now Eat This." It's not traditional by any means (no eggs, no oil), but it passes off as the real thing, quite convincingly, using only natural ingredients... in particular, Greek yogurt, cornstarch, and a combination of vinegar, mustard, and a little zero-calorie sweetner (Truvia=stevia=natural). I highly recommend it, so you can eat all the carrots you'd like.
Matt
Without checking every item, I would think it to be one of two items. The yeast was having trouble producing or the still was not running at optimal.
Yeast: Was there any chance the water has changed? Was there any chlorine still in the water? You can heat it to boil, then let it cool down enough to pitch. Chlorine evaporates lower then boiling temps. Did you use the same supply of water? Distilled water has almost no nutrients for the yeast, whereas the ground water may have ideal nutrients in your area. That is why Kentucky is used in the states, the water. Was the temp correct when you pitched the yeast? If it was too hot, it could have killed or damaged the yeast and slowed it down. If it was too cold, it could have started to reproduce to slow, and other lil nasties started to grow and competed for the food supplies, sugar.
Still: If you run it too hot, the water will not condense out before it gets to the condenser unit. It will simply stay in vapour form until it drips out the tip.
I would suggest tasting the wash. If there is any sugar left, then its yeast. If it is dry, no sweetness, then check the still setup.
If you are using Turbo Yeast, you can set the recipe to make about 18% alcohol. If you have ideal conditions, you can tweak out about 20%. Try 13 pounds of sugar, 5 gallons water and pitch the Turbo Yeast before adding. You should get about 18%. That will give you, not quite, but close to double the output.
Good tips. As a financial writer i always love to follow your site. All the post are informative & innovative too.
Keep up the good work.
You have old info on the S Corporation shareholder limit. It is limited to 100 shareholders, and has been for some time now.
This worked pretty well for me - the option with the dry ice, that is. I had a small dent in my hood that my auto repair spot - http://www.leonardsgarageandmuffler.com - quoted me a price to fix, then I figured I may as well try it myself. It took a bit longer than I expected, but the dent is nowhere to be found.
We tried FSBO on our condo.It was clutter-free and move-in condition. We tried an open house-twice. After a couple months, we ended up handing it over to a realtor who sold it, but for less than what we paid. At that point, we had already moved out and the condo was vacant. The town had lost many jobs and there were at least 5 homes for sale on every street. So, we had alot of competition. We are open to FSBO, should we lose our jobs again!!
Zorcy,
Holy crap, is there anything about the process that you don't know?
How long have you been doing this?
The 23%-er I bought was on a whim. It was eight bucks shipped. A far cry from the $1.07 baker's yeast I got from the grocery. Before I settle on a usual recipe, I just wanted to try a best case / worse case scenario. I'll post the yield results when they come. The batch with the 23% should stop bubbling middle of next week.
When you say cold tea... I am assuming you mean like Lipton?
Do you think it would be beneficial enough to throw a couple tea bags in the first batch (recipe on here) now, or should I just let it ride as is?
I am a big fan of simplicity, and the recipe here is about as simple as it gets. The whole process of the Alcobase Extreme was not bad, but the whole charcoal / defoamer / clarifier steps seem to be a bit extreme. But throwing a tea bag in the mix would be simple enough.
As always, Zorcy, thanks for the time and knowledge.
If you're ever in Central Florida, I'll buy you a beverage for all the help...
I am so excited about this app.
Hello,The $40 hidden inside a 12V battery looks like be a good battery .but it can use a long time as battery?And if it is a few expense?
Definitely the adoption fee of my sweet mixed breed dog, Dusty 11 years ago. We had just lost the other love of our life, a beautiful lab mix. He brought me out of a deep depression.
I like the pickle article but couldn't you just take the juice from the pickle jar when you've finished off your store bout pickles, boil it and pour it back into the jar with some fresh sliced up veggies? Beats dumping it down the drain I'd think.
Lots of fun tips - thanks to all.
As a wardrobe consultant I make my living helping women get the most from their clothes. I use the dyeing techniques all the time - not just to renew black garments, but also to refresh navy, brown or other dark colors. Dyeing a bunch of different brown or navy pieces together brings them all much closer to matching too, giving you more mix/match potential.
I've also dyed white things fun new colors to mask a dingy, over-used look. Once, in a down moment, I dyed several sets of dingy undies into sexy new shades - they looked brand new! I've also dyed black/white print pieces - the black stays black and the white takes the color - a whole new look to the garment. I sometimes throw in a white T shirt, too, so I have a matching top for my new creation.
I'm a big fan of changing buttons to freshen a garment. Any button will stay on longer if you put a drop of Fray Check (clear liquid ravel preventer - buy it in fabric stores) on the threads to sort of glue them together. I also put a bead of Fray Check on the stitching of a buttonhole to prevent future raveling, but be sparing - you dont want a big discolored blob on your fabric. Test it first in an inconspicuous area of the garment.
In California, the kitchen used to prepare foods for sale commercially need to be made in a commercial kitchen with all its applicable sanitation laws. But part-time / small-scale food preparation businesses can "rent" unused kitchen time from local restaurants. You can bake a few hundred cookies in the morning before the restaurant opens.
Are we talking about paying it off early, or paying it off at all?
If we're talking about paying it off early I'd disagree with two points:
*Security against income loss - you still have to pay the minimum payment regardless if your balance is going to be paid off on time or early. So if you lose your income, you either have a lower mortgage balance or that much more in savings you could tap to pay your bills
*home equity as emergency fund - good luck getting approved if you have no job
I live in southeast Georgia and because of the economical situation and my unemployment as of present, I have been going without using the air at all this year. It gets very hot here and very humid as well but am trying to finfd ways to keep comfortable thru this sweltering heat. I use a dehumidifier to take out the moisture in the air and then have box fans and ceiling fans thru out the house. AT night, I open the bedroom window when humidity and heat is lower and have it blow in the window on me. The only thing I worry about is getting mold and mildew in my house. Anyone have any other suggestions to stay cooler? I simply can not affordd to use the air at all...
Hi all, hopefully this didn't come through twice as I messed the first up. I am writing you for some advice. I have made appx 7 batches and have used the recipe on this site (8lbs table sugar, 5 gallon water, 1 tablespoon turbo yeast) every time. Every time I have had consistent results that I am very happy with. Unfortunately, the batch I attempted to make last night did not turn out NEARLY as strong as my previous 7 batches had. I have been used to getting appx 3-4 cups of very strong alcohol and then it gradually tapering. With the batch I ran through the still last night, the first (and remaining) that came out of the still was unbelievable weak?! It was literally weaker at start than when I normally stop my distillation of previous batches. I can't for the life of me figure out what I could have done to cause this as all the variable have remained the same (same quantiy/volume of sugar, water, yeast). I know that it was fermenting as I had bubbles/burping on my air lock. I did only let it ferment for 6 days which I know isn't long BUT it is turbo yeast AND the last batch I made I only allowed to ferment for 6 days. Any thoughts/ideas on what I could have done or what could have caused? Thank you for your advice!!!
Hemingway, great artist that he was, was also a bullshit artist. When he was "starving" in Paris, he was really living quite well off of Hadley's income which was the equivalent of a mid-level administrator's at the time. When Hadley's investments went belly up, Hem found himself a wealthier dame. I've done the same thing Philip Brewer has done and it's worked for me.