This is a timely posting. I've just returned from a 2 week volunteer posting with my daughter for which we paid about $1200 each. For that we received a $50. medical insurance policy and a referral to an orphanage/school in Arusha, Tanzania. Not much else.
The promised 24/7 in country support never materialized. The contact person was never available and did nothing for us. But the most shocking part for us was that the orphanage did not receive anything for our room and board and they told us this was the usual case with this organization called IFRE (International Field Research and Expedition) which also operates as Rustic Volunteers, Global Volunteers and Global Crossroads. We were put in the uncomfortable position of taking charity from a charity.
Apparently, they have tried to make different arrangements and receive some payment but again it is nothing but promises. They find that many volunteers bring school supplies, etc. as we did and some become donors. Our accommodation was basic as was the food but it was acceptable. I heard many sad tales of abandoned volunteers, mostly high school and college students. Some locations are just not set up for volunteers and there is a lack of food and no bed, just the bare ground.
I would suggest that anyone seeking to volunteer overseas try to make arrangements directly through a major organization like Unicef, the Red Cross and arrange to pay directly to the charity for their living expenses. Or from a personal recommendation of someone who has used a particular organization. These organizations that charge thousands of dollars to volunteer are profit making enterprises.
I have a friend who works for a bankruptcy lawyer. Most of her clients live in the house for free for a year and a half to 2 years before the house forecloses.
Ugh. More of this? C'mon WiseBread. It's like you're putting your stamp of approval on walking away from a mortgage. Instead, why not inspire people to live a little more frugally and deal with the situation they decided upon? That's what I thought your message was... or was supposed to be.
No matter how much you try to convince yourself, defaulting on your mortgage doesn't just hurt the "Banks." It hurts all of us, including the people who live in your immediate community and people who live on the other side of the country. If you can no longer afford your house or it's worth a lot less than you still owe, just sell it and take the loss. If you can't sell it, it's still your responsibility. Can we please stop this madness or has this country become just too selfish?
My son and I found a great scholarship site that I'd like to share. It is http://www.how2winscholarships.com. The scholarship guide offered there helped him win so many scholarships. Times are tough and I hope I can help others by sharing that site. Mark
I recently had a job interview down at the local chip shop, and they asked, "Where would you see yourself in a few years?" and I replied, "Probably working here selling chips and spilling vinegar everywhere but at night i'll be working the street corners and selling drugs." And he laughed and said, "Won't we all." It was perhaps the greatest moment of my life, he then offered me the job on the spot and I told him No thanks, your allright (sarcasm). Then he got all serious and told me to Get the **** into work next week or im gonna burn down your house! (sarcasm also.)
Even in the private sector there are wasteful companies and lazy employees. I work for a start up biotech company (read we don't make money - just get funding from investors) and I'm amazed at how some of the money is spent.
I think it's hard to generalize a government worker/job anyway. There are so many different areas of work - research, public health, security, budgeting....
Good Luck, I'm almost 60 and my unemployment benefits are more than what I would expect to get working for minimum wage. No one wants us, period. I'm taking college classes online to hopefully improve my job prospects. Your hostile work environment sounds familiar. That's how they weed out the oldies. I am at the end of my rope in all ways.
Baking soda is very alkaline, which causes the hair's cuticle to swell creating that "dry" feeling. Vinegar is more acidic, thus neutralizing the mixture.
FYI - as a former haircolorist I used to prescribe baking soda for use to correct home color accidents and over deposit - baking soda with dish detergent gets most excess color out.
Then I'd have the client come in for much needed preconditioning before more color.
My Mom and I grew up in Indonesia (she still lives there) and every morning, until this day, she still eats a slice of toast, spreads butter all even (yup, even to the itty bitty corners) and a light sprinkling of sugar on top! My grandpa used to raise cows so I'm sure when she was little, they had really fresh butter... Now that she's her own boss, she gets "fancy" butter but still eats the same thing every morning :) When I miss home, I make myself butter and sugar toast and it'll feel like I'm having breakfast with my Mom :)
My husband and I live in a small condo in Orange County, CA. I know that sounds quite fancy but believe me when I say, we got here by being frugal :P Since we got married 3 years ago, I learned so much from other frugal bloggers! I save bacon grease now (and I only buy bacon ends from the market, unless there's a great coupon) and use it to make eggs... yummms! Bread ends get thrown into the freezer and gets added to casseroles or made into some sort of bread pudding. I have my own sourdough starter in the fridge... I make my own granola... brew my own coffee (unless the hubby comes home with a Starbucks gift card as an appreciation gift from his company). Around here, it's really hard to eat out without spending tons, so I make him lunches everyday. I try to cook about 2-3 times per week and make enough for more than 2 meals.
It's kinda nice to be able to not freak out when the recession hits. I'm grateful that I learned a lot and get support from the husband to be more frugal :)
Ok I filed my taxs on tact act, my girlfriend seen that i was getting back 1100 bucks and im suppose 2 buy her a ring with it so what can i say to make her think it was wrong and im not gettin back that much so i can make her t hink we cant get it ? I claimed a move which was 2700 miles so thats why im gettin that much back. I need to come up with something to make her think it wasnt right and im not gettin back that much now ??????
Oh man, #6, all the way. I HATE convenience checks, for the very reason that it's easy for thieves to take steal them right out of your mailbox and use them. I had that happen to me years ago. Thieves stole my mail out of my box, and used the convenience checks against my credit card for over $2,000. Luckily, I caught the theft right away, and disputed the stolen charges. The credit card company dropped the charges, but the damage was done. It was then I learned to ALWAYS call the credit card companies ASAP and have them stop sending convenience checks.
Thank you for this wonderful post. I have not read all the comments, so don't know if anyone has mentioned something similar....My son is studying in France this year. I have--not totally tongue in cheek--suggested that he find a wife from a country with health care. I was dreading his graduation into a dangerous world!
After the bill passed, i asked him what his European pals thought. He said most were shocked. They couldn't believe we didn't already have it.
I'm in the market for a house that would cost about half my savings. I'll probably make a "cash" offer but take a mortgage (cash offer meaning that there's no loan contingency and I'll bite the bullet and pay cash if I can't close a loan fast enough). The reasons I'll take the mortgage....
The tax benefit of the mortgage is equal to the tax "penalty" of an investment... At 5% interest, the mortgage costs 3.75% out of my pocket; an investment paying 5% earns 3.75% after taxes. It's a wash. But the mortgage interest is fixed - if investment returns are less than 5%, I can choose to pay off the mortgage, but if interest rates rise, I can keep the mortgage and earn a higher rate on savings.
If rates rise a lot, an assumable mortgage is an asset that can help sell the house.
A non-recourse mortgage is a form of risk-sharing with the bank. If the home value declines, I only lose my down payment and the value of any improvements - I can send the keys to the bank and walk away.
If I move or move up, I can rent the house. The mortgage interest is a business expense, and I still have my cash in hand for my next home purchase. If I owned the house outright, I couldn't buy another house until I sold the first one or got a mortgage on the second one. I KNOW I qualify for a mortgage now - in the future, who knows?
i'm 25 and have been renting for 7 years now and i think it's absolutely ridiculous to pay a mortgage if you have enough money to just pay cash for a home. forget about the "tax deduction" that you get now, and think about having stability. The job that is supporting you now, is that gauranteed to support you 10, 20 or 30 years for now? Probably not. If tax deductions is what you're looking for then donate your money to charity.
Thank you for saying so eloquently something I've known to be true for years. I'm a freelance writer and I get my health insurance through my husband's employer - thankfully. A few years ago my sister who has had asthma since childhood, and has always had health insurance [without interruption] through large employers, was told her asthma would not be covered for 18 mos under her new employer's policy. She opted to use COBRA to cover her asthma [at no small cost] until the new insurance kicked in. Oh, and her new employer was a health insurance company. I guess that's why she wasn't rejected outright.
I've also met other writers with preexisting conditions, who wanted to strike out on their own, and even start companies, but couldn't seriously consider it because they would never get health insurance at any price due to preexisting conditions [all congenital].
I think this reform will be great for business, not as good as a single payer system [which I believe is the system pushed by the AMA -not a group of well-educated, high-earners prone to socialist tendencies],but this reform is a great start.
Conservative naysayers were on the wrong side when it came to child labor laws, Medicare, and Social Security - three sacred cows they now consider their duty to protect.
Use corks under potted plants to help keep the roots from swimming in water. I have also seen massive numbers of corks in a VERY LARGE glass vase (several feet tall), as a decoration at a nice restaurant.
I just wanted to answer Steve's post about "Maybe I am doing something wrong." Well, I used to think exactly like you, but someone showed me how to make couponing work, and so I'll have to say that YES, you have been doing couponing "wrong" if you're saving only 5%-15%. Really, it's not wrong but not serving you as well as it could. What I mean is that with more effective techniques, you can save substantially. For example, my normal register tape reads $70 spent for $210 of groceries (no double coupons here in FL). I don't take the time to go to multiple stores and hit their best sales but carefully plan my attack at 1 store, so I have room for improvement but not more time. There's a better way to coupon, and not running out and buying when I don't have a coupon to combine with a sale really adds up to savings. I'm no super hoarder, but I believe that it's wise to put some aside in case there is a family emergency or natural disaster. I have friends who have relied on that philosophy to get them through unemployment recently. Now I am no longer accustomed to paying retail, and that has really changed our finances for the better. We could barely make it, and now we're buying better quality products, have fuller cupboards, a more varied and healthful menu, and are putting money in savings. Couponing is going to pay for braces for my son, but with only the percent of savings you described, no way would it have done that. I suggest you take another look at serious couponing if you'd like extra money without another job. If you choose to treat it like a job, you get the benefit of being your own boss! If it doesn't interest you, OK, but I hope you understand why for moms trying to make ends meet, couponing is life-changing.
You can get your friends to read this -- email them the link or tweet it to your followers. You may do a lot for other people and they want to return your kindness, but other than not asking that's all you can do -- they've got to figure it out on their own. Definitely consider not asking certain people if they aren't able to keep commitments; often you will find substitutes who are really eager to help. You could try for a general plea (via Facebook or a blurb in your organization's newsletter) just to make sure no one gets left off the volunteer list who really wants to be on it.
I love the idea of saying no for a month. I think the people who are important to you will understand.
Some of us are very relationship-oriented and agreeing to help a friend or colleague seems like a great way of building relationships, and it is a great way -- but if you're overbooked, this approach is counterproductive. Realizing that other people (not just me) had a difficult time predicting schedules made me feel much better -- apparently day to day demands are so variable, free time is hard to judge. I've been saying no more lately and though I have some free time, I am able to work off a backlog of projects.
Make sure that the shorter term will actually benefit you, making your payments lower, which is presumably your goal. If you go to a shorter term, it's likely that your payments will be higher -- unless you have just a few years left on the 30-year mortgage (and will be spreading out the payments even longer) and/or have a fairly high interest rate now.
Taking care of your hair should be a joint project when you are a mom. It might become a special time for the both of you. It has worked well for me and my wife for many years!!
I tend to feel guilty when I say no, so I often say yes resentfully. I actually recently decided to try an experiment for the whole month of April and say no to things. I am documenting how I feel about saying no and how people respond to it, so I (hopefully) realize that it's not quite so bad. So far, I haven't actually had to say no since I've made the decision, but I am kind of looking forward to being able to say no.
I appreciate the reminders as to why it's actually okay to say no. I have to remind myself it doesn't make me selfish or a terrible friend or a bad person either.
This is a timely posting. I've just returned from a 2 week volunteer posting with my daughter for which we paid about $1200 each. For that we received a $50. medical insurance policy and a referral to an orphanage/school in Arusha, Tanzania. Not much else.
The promised 24/7 in country support never materialized. The contact person was never available and did nothing for us. But the most shocking part for us was that the orphanage did not receive anything for our room and board and they told us this was the usual case with this organization called IFRE (International Field Research and Expedition) which also operates as Rustic Volunteers, Global Volunteers and Global Crossroads. We were put in the uncomfortable position of taking charity from a charity.
Apparently, they have tried to make different arrangements and receive some payment but again it is nothing but promises. They find that many volunteers bring school supplies, etc. as we did and some become donors. Our accommodation was basic as was the food but it was acceptable. I heard many sad tales of abandoned volunteers, mostly high school and college students. Some locations are just not set up for volunteers and there is a lack of food and no bed, just the bare ground.
I would suggest that anyone seeking to volunteer overseas try to make arrangements directly through a major organization like Unicef, the Red Cross and arrange to pay directly to the charity for their living expenses. Or from a personal recommendation of someone who has used a particular organization. These organizations that charge thousands of dollars to volunteer are profit making enterprises.
I have a friend who works for a bankruptcy lawyer. Most of her clients live in the house for free for a year and a half to 2 years before the house forecloses.
Ugh. More of this? C'mon WiseBread. It's like you're putting your stamp of approval on walking away from a mortgage. Instead, why not inspire people to live a little more frugally and deal with the situation they decided upon? That's what I thought your message was... or was supposed to be.
No matter how much you try to convince yourself, defaulting on your mortgage doesn't just hurt the "Banks." It hurts all of us, including the people who live in your immediate community and people who live on the other side of the country. If you can no longer afford your house or it's worth a lot less than you still owe, just sell it and take the loss. If you can't sell it, it's still your responsibility. Can we please stop this madness or has this country become just too selfish?
My son and I found a great scholarship site that I'd like to share. It is http://www.how2winscholarships.com. The scholarship guide offered there helped him win so many scholarships. Times are tough and I hope I can help others by sharing that site. Mark
I recently had a job interview down at the local chip shop, and they asked, "Where would you see yourself in a few years?" and I replied, "Probably working here selling chips and spilling vinegar everywhere but at night i'll be working the street corners and selling drugs." And he laughed and said, "Won't we all." It was perhaps the greatest moment of my life, he then offered me the job on the spot and I told him No thanks, your allright (sarcasm). Then he got all serious and told me to Get the **** into work next week or im gonna burn down your house! (sarcasm also.)
Best interview ever for me. And always will be.
Even in the private sector there are wasteful companies and lazy employees. I work for a start up biotech company (read we don't make money - just get funding from investors) and I'm amazed at how some of the money is spent.
I think it's hard to generalize a government worker/job anyway. There are so many different areas of work - research, public health, security, budgeting....
Good Luck, I'm almost 60 and my unemployment benefits are more than what I would expect to get working for minimum wage. No one wants us, period. I'm taking college classes online to hopefully improve my job prospects. Your hostile work environment sounds familiar. That's how they weed out the oldies. I am at the end of my rope in all ways.
Thanks for sharing such helpful post. I had read it one month ago. It helped me a lot.
Baking soda is very alkaline, which causes the hair's cuticle to swell creating that "dry" feeling. Vinegar is more acidic, thus neutralizing the mixture.
FYI - as a former haircolorist I used to prescribe baking soda for use to correct home color accidents and over deposit - baking soda with dish detergent gets most excess color out.
Then I'd have the client come in for much needed preconditioning before more color.
this trade with china must stop
My Mom and I grew up in Indonesia (she still lives there) and every morning, until this day, she still eats a slice of toast, spreads butter all even (yup, even to the itty bitty corners) and a light sprinkling of sugar on top! My grandpa used to raise cows so I'm sure when she was little, they had really fresh butter... Now that she's her own boss, she gets "fancy" butter but still eats the same thing every morning :) When I miss home, I make myself butter and sugar toast and it'll feel like I'm having breakfast with my Mom :)
My husband and I live in a small condo in Orange County, CA. I know that sounds quite fancy but believe me when I say, we got here by being frugal :P Since we got married 3 years ago, I learned so much from other frugal bloggers! I save bacon grease now (and I only buy bacon ends from the market, unless there's a great coupon) and use it to make eggs... yummms! Bread ends get thrown into the freezer and gets added to casseroles or made into some sort of bread pudding. I have my own sourdough starter in the fridge... I make my own granola... brew my own coffee (unless the hubby comes home with a Starbucks gift card as an appreciation gift from his company). Around here, it's really hard to eat out without spending tons, so I make him lunches everyday. I try to cook about 2-3 times per week and make enough for more than 2 meals.
It's kinda nice to be able to not freak out when the recession hits. I'm grateful that I learned a lot and get support from the husband to be more frugal :)
I would also recommend checking out this blog
http://blog.greensherpa.com/index.php/student-life/the-frugal-student-pa...
It's written by a college student and has a lot of helpful information on how to find "free money" for college students through grants, FAFSA, etc.
Ok I filed my taxs on tact act, my girlfriend seen that i was getting back 1100 bucks and im suppose 2 buy her a ring with it so what can i say to make her think it was wrong and im not gettin back that much so i can make her t hink we cant get it ? I claimed a move which was 2700 miles so thats why im gettin that much back. I need to come up with something to make her think it wasnt right and im not gettin back that much now ??????
Oh man, #6, all the way. I HATE convenience checks, for the very reason that it's easy for thieves to take steal them right out of your mailbox and use them. I had that happen to me years ago. Thieves stole my mail out of my box, and used the convenience checks against my credit card for over $2,000. Luckily, I caught the theft right away, and disputed the stolen charges. The credit card company dropped the charges, but the damage was done. It was then I learned to ALWAYS call the credit card companies ASAP and have them stop sending convenience checks.
Thank you for this wonderful post. I have not read all the comments, so don't know if anyone has mentioned something similar....My son is studying in France this year. I have--not totally tongue in cheek--suggested that he find a wife from a country with health care. I was dreading his graduation into a dangerous world!
After the bill passed, i asked him what his European pals thought. He said most were shocked. They couldn't believe we didn't already have it.
I'm in the market for a house that would cost about half my savings. I'll probably make a "cash" offer but take a mortgage (cash offer meaning that there's no loan contingency and I'll bite the bullet and pay cash if I can't close a loan fast enough). The reasons I'll take the mortgage....
The tax benefit of the mortgage is equal to the tax "penalty" of an investment... At 5% interest, the mortgage costs 3.75% out of my pocket; an investment paying 5% earns 3.75% after taxes. It's a wash. But the mortgage interest is fixed - if investment returns are less than 5%, I can choose to pay off the mortgage, but if interest rates rise, I can keep the mortgage and earn a higher rate on savings.
If rates rise a lot, an assumable mortgage is an asset that can help sell the house.
A non-recourse mortgage is a form of risk-sharing with the bank. If the home value declines, I only lose my down payment and the value of any improvements - I can send the keys to the bank and walk away.
If I move or move up, I can rent the house. The mortgage interest is a business expense, and I still have my cash in hand for my next home purchase. If I owned the house outright, I couldn't buy another house until I sold the first one or got a mortgage on the second one. I KNOW I qualify for a mortgage now - in the future, who knows?
i'm 25 and have been renting for 7 years now and i think it's absolutely ridiculous to pay a mortgage if you have enough money to just pay cash for a home. forget about the "tax deduction" that you get now, and think about having stability. The job that is supporting you now, is that gauranteed to support you 10, 20 or 30 years for now? Probably not. If tax deductions is what you're looking for then donate your money to charity.
Thank you for saying so eloquently something I've known to be true for years. I'm a freelance writer and I get my health insurance through my husband's employer - thankfully. A few years ago my sister who has had asthma since childhood, and has always had health insurance [without interruption] through large employers, was told her asthma would not be covered for 18 mos under her new employer's policy. She opted to use COBRA to cover her asthma [at no small cost] until the new insurance kicked in. Oh, and her new employer was a health insurance company. I guess that's why she wasn't rejected outright.
I've also met other writers with preexisting conditions, who wanted to strike out on their own, and even start companies, but couldn't seriously consider it because they would never get health insurance at any price due to preexisting conditions [all congenital].
I think this reform will be great for business, not as good as a single payer system [which I believe is the system pushed by the AMA -not a group of well-educated, high-earners prone to socialist tendencies],but this reform is a great start.
Conservative naysayers were on the wrong side when it came to child labor laws, Medicare, and Social Security - three sacred cows they now consider their duty to protect.
This is a chemotherapy drug that interferes with DNA and RNA formation and can cause serious inflammation.
http://skincancer.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/5fluorouracil.htm
Use corks under potted plants to help keep the roots from swimming in water. I have also seen massive numbers of corks in a VERY LARGE glass vase (several feet tall), as a decoration at a nice restaurant.
I just wanted to answer Steve's post about "Maybe I am doing something wrong." Well, I used to think exactly like you, but someone showed me how to make couponing work, and so I'll have to say that YES, you have been doing couponing "wrong" if you're saving only 5%-15%. Really, it's not wrong but not serving you as well as it could. What I mean is that with more effective techniques, you can save substantially. For example, my normal register tape reads $70 spent for $210 of groceries (no double coupons here in FL). I don't take the time to go to multiple stores and hit their best sales but carefully plan my attack at 1 store, so I have room for improvement but not more time. There's a better way to coupon, and not running out and buying when I don't have a coupon to combine with a sale really adds up to savings. I'm no super hoarder, but I believe that it's wise to put some aside in case there is a family emergency or natural disaster. I have friends who have relied on that philosophy to get them through unemployment recently. Now I am no longer accustomed to paying retail, and that has really changed our finances for the better. We could barely make it, and now we're buying better quality products, have fuller cupboards, a more varied and healthful menu, and are putting money in savings. Couponing is going to pay for braces for my son, but with only the percent of savings you described, no way would it have done that. I suggest you take another look at serious couponing if you'd like extra money without another job. If you choose to treat it like a job, you get the benefit of being your own boss! If it doesn't interest you, OK, but I hope you understand why for moms trying to make ends meet, couponing is life-changing.
You can get your friends to read this -- email them the link or tweet it to your followers. You may do a lot for other people and they want to return your kindness, but other than not asking that's all you can do -- they've got to figure it out on their own. Definitely consider not asking certain people if they aren't able to keep commitments; often you will find substitutes who are really eager to help. You could try for a general plea (via Facebook or a blurb in your organization's newsletter) just to make sure no one gets left off the volunteer list who really wants to be on it.
I love the idea of saying no for a month. I think the people who are important to you will understand.
Some of us are very relationship-oriented and agreeing to help a friend or colleague seems like a great way of building relationships, and it is a great way -- but if you're overbooked, this approach is counterproductive. Realizing that other people (not just me) had a difficult time predicting schedules made me feel much better -- apparently day to day demands are so variable, free time is hard to judge. I've been saying no more lately and though I have some free time, I am able to work off a backlog of projects.
Make sure that the shorter term will actually benefit you, making your payments lower, which is presumably your goal. If you go to a shorter term, it's likely that your payments will be higher -- unless you have just a few years left on the 30-year mortgage (and will be spreading out the payments even longer) and/or have a fairly high interest rate now.
Taking care of your hair should be a joint project when you are a mom. It might become a special time for the both of you. It has worked well for me and my wife for many years!!
I tend to feel guilty when I say no, so I often say yes resentfully. I actually recently decided to try an experiment for the whole month of April and say no to things. I am documenting how I feel about saying no and how people respond to it, so I (hopefully) realize that it's not quite so bad. So far, I haven't actually had to say no since I've made the decision, but I am kind of looking forward to being able to say no.
I appreciate the reminders as to why it's actually okay to say no. I have to remind myself it doesn't make me selfish or a terrible friend or a bad person either.