Recent comments

  • Life After Bankruptcy: What's Next?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    HA HA. I am going through a Chapter 7 filing in which $150K in unsecured debts will be discharged. The big banks that are taking the hit got the TARP money. It's the little guy like deRuiter that gets screwed. Hey buddy, if you don't like it then put all your customers on COD. Or get a job working for The Man.

  • What's Faster for Mortgage Payoff: $100/Month Extra or 1 Payment/Year Extra?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    as said before we have a 30 year mortgage we are not youngsters, we would like to refinance at a lower interest rate and have a 15 to 10 year mortgage if possible. If anyone out there can hep us we would greatly appreciate it, God Bless You Carol and Roy

  • What's Faster for Mortgage Payoff: $100/Month Extra or 1 Payment/Year Extra?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    we are trying to refinance to a 15 or even 10 year mortgage. We never expected to have a 30 year mortgage at our ages, IF THERE IS ANY ONE OUT THERE WHO COULD HELP USE WE WOULD GREATLT APPRECIATE IT. tHANK YOU cAROL AND roy

  • What's Faster for Mortgage Payoff: $100/Month Extra or 1 Payment/Year Extra?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    We would like to refinance our home to a 10 or 15 year mortgage. We cannot afford the payment we have now-my husband is disabled and my job cut my hours to three days if any one out the can help us out with this we would surely would appreciate it. We never intended to have a 3o year mortgage at our age. Its been very hard on us but we don"t want to loose the house PLEASE HELP US.Thank You very much Carol and Roy

  • 12 Straightforward Ways to Say "No"   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I have kinda the opposite problem. I had no problem asking people to do things, but people seem to feel bad saying "No" to me. I've gone so far as to start including with my request, "No is an okay answer", especially if someone has a history of taking time to answer or commits to something and then later has to back out.
    It's not going to bother me if someone isn't able to do something, I'd just really rather know up front rather than have them just fit me in.

  • Lower Credit Card Rates? Just Ask!   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Amex : Rep told me that they had no offers for me, and that I needed to have 12 months of on-time payments without going over the limit. I stated that that was the case on my account, and he magically said "Oh, it appears I do have an offer for you". Lowered from 27.99 to 15.99%.

    Chase: I have been paying down my card and am well below 50% utilization, on a card with a $1000 balance, no missed/late payments for over a year. The rep said that there was absolutely nothing they could do for me, and he agreed the 31.99% was ridiculous. Not helpful, and no suggestions other than "just keep on doing what you're doing", but could not give me a time-frame to call back or anything.

    Suffice it to say, I'll be paying off the remaining balance on this card later this month, and will no longer be doing business with Chase.

  • How To Cut Car Ownership Costs   16 years 3 weeks ago

    This is right on! We always buy used cars and since my husband is great mechanically we have usually gotten great vehicles. We aren't very old (25) but we made the best vehicle purchase we could have in my husband's 97 truck. We have to have a truck for his job and because we haul a lot of stuff but it costs little to run, has needed only a couple minor repairs, and is paid for in full! My husband is also a very good driver who doesn't push cars. We keep cars longer because he is willing to say, "Yeah, my truck could race up this hill but if I just take her easy, I won't be risking a huge repair for overdriving."

    Now we are faced with the possibility of having to buy a newer vehicle in accordance with my husband's job to replace the company vehicles they are taking away and we have learned that some people just don't get the cost of buying something new when we have a good working "older" vehicle.

  • Free Shopping at Walgreens   16 years 3 weeks ago

    limit w/aarp, but is "big" insurance pusher

  • 8 Nifty Tips for Getting the Most from an All-You-Can Eat Buffet   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I agree these low paid waiter deserve a decent wage but is should not be at the expense of the customer expected to tip. They should be paid by the owners of the establishment who in turn should charge more for the food to pay their help. It rally chaps me to eat a t a nice resturant and have an 18% gratuity included. It is a recipe for poor service. Tipping shold be a personal choice and only for good service.. Why do so many people do this kind of work. It's because they can make more off our guilt trips to tip them than they can at a regular job. Have them learn a skill and got a higher paying job. Refuse to work for sub minimum wage. We need to change the system. Everyone has their hand out. I am retired and on a fixed income. I don't get more money because I got good service. I will leave a minimum tip if impressed with the service. I will leave nothing or a penny if not satisfied. I avoid food places with a built in gratuity. There are places in the world that do not allow tipping and everything runs smoothly. You pay a little more for food but you don't ever get bad service because the owners pay the full salarys.Singapore is one such place.
    Don't cry to me about the poor people need a decent living. Have them get a real job and force the food service owners to make waiting tables a real job instead of customers paying for their help.

  • Are You Saving For Your Child's College Education?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Thanks for sharing

    essay | business research paper

  • Homebrewed Beer: Make Your Own and Save Money?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    We've had luck at http://www.northernbrewer.com/ and http://www.williamsbrewing.com/. Not sure how "bulk" the ingredients are but the service is great and the prices are good. You can buy kits or individual ingredients as well.

  • Health Care Reform: Good for People Like Me   16 years 3 weeks ago

    @Brian

    When will people realize that these are TAXES (7.65% combined, wow imagine what someone could with a pay raise of OVER 8% - do the math) that are collected from you paycheck: THERE IS NO ACCOUNT HOLDING THE MONEY that is collected from medicare/SS. They are only pieces of paper that say "IOU. Love, Uncle Sammy".

    My retirement plans include getting ZILCH from ss or medicare (Medicare/Medicaid WILL be replaced by Fed-run health-care, but the taxes for them will not disappear) - if it happens, it will be a bonus, albeit probably one meal a month by the time I am eligible (oh, they can change the rules at any time on that, as well).

  • How To Cut Car Ownership Costs   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Taking it easy and driving defensively saves gas, reduces stress on both you and the car, and keeps those insurance premiums down.

  • 12 Straightforward Ways to Say "No"   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I need to work on this! Especially 7 & 8! I often times feel guilty when I've over committed and when I do so no I feel as though I have to justify my response with how busy I am....which often leads to the other person telling me how busy they are and so on.

    Thanks for the reminder!

  • How to Get Laid Off: A Step-By-Step Guide   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I WANT OUT... My current job requires half a brain and 'some college work preferred but not required' while I have a MBA. My boss is a highly autocratic, the end-all of discussions, micro-manages the entire department and tries to do the same in other departments.

    I am in my late twenties, married, have a mortgage, car payment, child, etc, etc, etc and can't afford to quite outright. Unemployment benefits will buy me some time while I find another job more suited to my qualifications.

    My last yearly review was based on me exploding into a 15 minute rage about how she is a horrible manager and even spoke out to HR regarding my discontent. What happened? HR is on her while she tries to make my life even more miserable at work by super micro-managing me. At least this has turned into a game! :-) I know I will be the first to go if there is a downsize... I just wish it would be NOW !

  • netSpend: The Story of the Visa Debit Card We Did Not Apply For   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I have used netspend for two years now and have had no problems(knock on wood). I think they have been great and have helped me manage my money better and get back on the right track....I would highly recommend this card to anyone who needs to straighten out their financial mess!! I think that people are jumping to the wrong conclusion about netspend.....and as far as the other problems people are saying about this company, well, I have not come across any bank that I have not had a problem with in one way or another....

  • How To Cut Car Ownership Costs   16 years 3 weeks ago

    You've hit the nail on the head with everything.

    Great post

    I happily say this as I get ready to go to work in my 94 Toyota Tercel!!!

    16 years and runnin' like a horse!

  • Open a beer bottle with a sheet of paper   16 years 3 weeks ago

    You can use part of a seatbelt buckle. The shiny part. The bottle cap fits perfectly in there. Not kidding, you should try it.

  • How To Cut Car Ownership Costs   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Hey,

    It hasn't really been long since I started taking my finances seriously. Before I did however, I leased a car in 2008 and man do I wish I had some of these tips on budgeting before I'd signed those papers. The vehicle wasn't an essential at the time, and had I taken the payments I'm making on it now and saved them, I could have purchased a decent used vehicle.

    Now, when I'm done with these payments, I'll either have to start over again, or buy out the rest.

    Good thing for guys like you, and others, that got me focused on personal finance and taking control of my wallet again.

  • Turn Off Your Air Conditioning   16 years 3 weeks ago

    We live in the New Orleans area and are subject to heat and humidity about 9 months of the year. In the summer of 2002, we experienced a central air and heat malfunction. We were on a tight budget and couldn't swing the new installation of a 3 ton unit. Our solution was to purchase 3 room size (2 small and 1 large) air conditioners for use in our bedrooms. We used pedestal fans in rooms other than our bedrooms. It was a personal choice to "suffer."

    When we received our first full electric bill, we were amazed at the difference cooling our bedrooms was as opposed to the whole house. It has been 8 years since we made that choice. We are enjoying the savings so much that we hesitate to intall that new unit to this day. We don't invite guests to our house during the hotter months because we don't want to inflict our choice on others.

    Humidity can be a problem if you have furnishings or keepsakes suseptible to damage from moisture. We will probably install a new unit before selling our house to make it more saleable. But for now we will enjoy our savings.

  • Best Money Tips: How I Built a Solar Panel for $100   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Who would have thought that you could build a solar panel like that for $100. Nice article.

  • Health Care Reform: Good for People Like Me   16 years 3 weeks ago

    If you are healthy right now and didn't buy insurance (the vast majority of the 30 million supposedly not insured) what makes anyone think they are going to buy it after this bill. Premiums are not going to be cheaper - period. That's not even a discussion. Has one person here seen cheaper premiums advertised because of this bill? nope. You would think insurance companies would be falling over themselves to offer healthy people the cheapest premiums possible and get their money so when they have to insure sick people those costs would be offset.

    I am for the part of the bill that allows for preexisting conditions with the following exception. For the next three years everyone has a "free pass" to buy insurance. If you do then you are covered by the preexisting condition clause. If you choose not to buy insurance (and the government says it will be affordable remember - sarcasm) then you don't fall under that protection later. If you are under the age 26 then you are automatically fall under the preexisting clause. but if you are a 22 year old that chooses not to buy insurance for the next 8 years then get sick when you are 30 too bad you are stuck with the entire cost even if that bankrupts you

    by the way does anyone know why emergency room visits cost more? only because the hospital choose to charge more. having or not having insurance has nothing to do with it. I have insurance, I had to have my appendix taken out. They processed me through the emergency room even though I didn't go to the emergency room, I actually went in 5 hours prior to that and saw my regular doctor then had a ct scan, then waited for the results, then they told me I had acute appendicitis and need to have it taken out today. my doctor had me go down stairs to the emergency room and check in through them; 4 hours later they took it out. On the bill $1300 for emergency room processing fee. They had separate charges for the operation, meds etc. so yes emergency rooms visits technically are more expensive but only because hospitals charge more not because they need to charge more or that having insurance keeps those costs down.

  • 5 More Fun Money-Making Ideas!   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Turn $6 into thousands!!! No Scam. THIS REALLY CAN MAKE YOU EASY MONEY! BUT YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW IT TO THE LETTER FOR IT TO WORK!! A little while back, I was browsing through newsgroup, just like you are now and came across an article similar to this that said you could make thousands of dollars within weeks with only an initial investment of $6.00! So I thought, "Yeah, right, this must be a scam", but like most of us, I was curious, so I kept reading. Anyway, it said that you send $1.00 to each of the 6 names and address stated in the article. You then place your own name and address in the bottom of the list at #6, and post the article in at least 200 newsgroup. (There are thousands) No catch, that was it. So after thinking it over, and talking to few people first, I thought about trying it. I figured what have I got to lose except 6 stamps and $6.00, right? Like most of us I was skeptical and a little worried about the legal aspects of it all, so I checked it out with the U.S. Post Office (1-800-725-2161) and they confirmed that it is indeed legal! Then I invested the measly $6.00. Well GUESS WHAT!?. Within 7 days, I started getting money in the mail! I was shocked! I figured it would end soon, but the money just kept coming in. In my first week, I made about $25.00. By the second week I had made over $1,000.00! In the third week I had over $10,000.00 and it's still growing. This is now my fourth week and I have made a total of just over $42,000.00 and it's still coming in rapidly. Its certainly worth $6.00, and 6 stamps, I have spent more than that on the lottery!!

    Let me tell you HOW this works and most importantly, WHY it works! Also, print a copy of this article so you can get the information off of it as you need it. STEP 1: Get 6 separate pieces of paper and write the following on each piece of paper "PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST", along with your name and address. Now get 6 US $1.00 bills and place ONE inside EACH of the 6 pieces of paper so the bill will not be seen through the envelope to prevent theft. What you are doing is creating a service by this. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY LEGAL! Mail the 6 envelopes to the following addresses: #1)Sherry Birkinbine 900 E. Lyon Apt 2 Des Moines, IA 50309 #2)Tony Childs 5339 east ocean blvd. # F, Long Beach,Ca 90803 #3)Tawny Cole 3512 Lockport St. Las Vegas, NV 89129 #4)Matthew Dickerson, 548 Lake St, Morgantown WV 26505 #5) Chad Hinkle 701 Western Rd. Apt 319, Medford, OR 97501 #6) Kevin Wills 1150 S. Marietta Pkwy. Apt. 207, Marietta, GA 30060

    STEP 2: Now take the #1 name off the list that you see above and move the other names up (6 becomes 5, 5 becomes 4, etc?.) and add YOUR Name as number 6 on the list. STEP 3: Change anything you need to, but try to keep this article as close to original as possible. Now, post your amended article to at least 200 newsgroups, message board. (I think there are close to 24,000 groups) All you need is 200, but remember, the more you post, the more money you make! ---- DIRECTIONS--HOW TO POST TO NEWSGROUPS, MESSAGE BOARD--- A) You do not need to re-type this entire letter to do your own posting. Simply put your cursor at the beginning of this letter and drag to the bottom of this document, and select 'copy' from the edit menu. B) Open a blank 'notepad' file and place your cursor at the top of the blank page. From the 'edit' menu select 'paste'. This will paste a copy of the letter into notepad so that you can add your name to the list. Step 3) save your new notepad file as a .txt file so you'll have it on file. C) Use your internet browser and search for various newsgroups (on-line forums, message boards, chat sites, discussions.) For example, you log on any search engine like yahoo*****, google*****, altavista*****, excite*****. Then you search with this subject: millionaire message board, money making message board, employment message board, money making discussions, money making forum or business message board etc. You will find thousands & thousands of message board. Click one by one, then you will find the option, post a new message. D) Visit these message boards and post this article as a new message by highlighting the text of this letter and selecting paste from the edit menu. Fill in the subject and click the post message button. You're done with your first one!. : Congratulations! THAT'S IT! All you have to do is jump to different newsgroups and post away, after you get the hang of it, and it will take about 30 seconds for each newsgroup! ** REMEMBER, THE MORE NEWSGROUPS OR MESSAGE BOARD YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE!! BUT YOU HAVE TO POST A MINIMUM OF 200** That's it! You will begin receiving money from around the world within days! You may eventually can rent a P.O. Box due to the large amount of mail you will receive. If you wish to stay anonymous, you can invent a name to use, as long as the postman will deliver it. **JUST MAKE SURE ALL THE ADDRESSES ARE CORRECT.

    Now the WHY part: Out of 200 postings, say I receive only 5 replies (a very low example). So then I Made $5.00 with my name at #6 on the letter. Now, each of the 5 persons who just sent me $1.00 make the MINIMUM 200 postings, each with my name at #5 and only 5 persons respond to each of the original 5, that is another $25.00 for me, now those 25 each make 200 MINIMUM posts with my name at #4 and only 5 replies each, I will bring in an additional :$125.00! Now, those 125 persons turn around and post the MINIMUM 200 with my name at #3 and only receive 5 replies each, I will make an additional $625.00! OK, now here is the fun part, each of those 625 persons post a MINIMUM 200 letters with my name at #2 and they only receive 5 replies, that just made me $3,125.00!!! Those 3,125 persons will all deliver this message to 200 newsgroups with my name at #1 and if still 5 persons per 200 newsgroups react I will receive $15,625.00! With an original investment of only $6.00! AMAZING! When your name is no longer on the list, you just take latest posting in the newsgroups, and send out another $6.00 to names on the list, putting your name at number 6 again. And start posting again. The thing to remember is, do you realize that thousands of people all over the world are joining the internet and reading these articles everyday, JUST LIKE YOU are now!! So can you afford $6 and see if it really works!! I know it to be true! People have said, 'what if the plan is played out and no one sends you the money? So what are the chances of that happening when there are tons of new honest users and new honest people who are joining the internet and newsgroups everyday and are willing to give it a try? Estimates are at 20,000 to 50,000 new users, every day, with thousands of those joining the actual Internet. Remember, play FAIRLY and HONESTLY and this will work.
    -----------------------------------------------
    Seriously,
    most people think this is a scam, but you actually do get thousands of
    dollars out of it, it is NOT another stupid scam, if people follow
    through, it works!!

    Cod

  • The First Time Home Buyer Credit: How Big of a Deal Is It?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    The $8000 first time homebuyers credit is free money NOT a loan. Go for it! No one in their right mind should refuse this, if you're worried about moving - either rent the house or bank the cash just in case.

  • Choosing Life Insurance: Term or Permanent?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    There are some folks (not necessarily Ramsey audience members) who opt to pay off debt and live without certain insurance agreements that have net worth above $500 (unless you mean $500K). Advice can be simple and boring and still work well for people. Thanks for visiting and adding to the conversation.