Recent comments

  • Ask the Readers: Save Money on Rent? (Chance to win $20!)   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I just rented a place and by paying a year in advance, I got two months more for free. This is the first time I have been able to afford to do this, but it ended up earning me $2000 ($1000 a month). I would not do this in a community where I did not know the safe and unsafe parts, but in this town that was not an issue.

    I also took a video of the entire place, zooming in on problems like scratched window sills, before moving in a piece of furniture. I did it with the landlord there, so she could see what the problems were, and on the video you can hear her agreeing that something was damaged---so later it will be easy to prove that problems existed before I moved in. This sounds pretty harsh, but I did this the last time I moved into an apartment and it meant I got back my entire deposit (for the first time in my life!)

    Thanks for the opportunity to win.

  • Ask the Readers: Save Money on Rent? (Chance to win $20!)   16 years 5 weeks ago
    Ask

    Act as you would when buying a home--don't look too excited or anxious to have the place. Then ask for a discount--the worst they can say is "no." My husband and I got our rent reduced by $100/mo. just by asking when we moved into our current place (last Saturday!).

  • Skills That Can Save You Money Part 1: Parallel Parking   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I think I'll be reposting this.

    Everywhere.

  • Skills That Can Save You Money Part 1: Parallel Parking   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I failed the parallel parking test when I got my driver's license, and was SO incredibly bad at it for years that I would avoid it like the plague. Only later did I learn that we were taught incorrectly in driver's ed classes (thanks, Wenatchee High!) - we were told to only pull halfway up to the car in front, so that we aligned the middle of OUR car with the back bumper of the other car.

    It was only when I was 29 or so that someone pointed out the flaw in my parking method and showed me to pull up much farther and start turning much earlier. I'll admit that I still never learned how to parallel park my Toyota Avalon; it was just too bulky and the turning radius was AWFUL.

  • Skills That Can Save You Money Part 1: Parallel Parking   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Where I used to live, it's cheaper to park in a parking garage than to parallel park on the street in the downtown area. People want to park on the street to be as close to the store or venue as possible. If you're willing to walk a couple of blocks, you can save some $.

  • Skills That Can Save You Money Part 1: Parallel Parking   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Wow, I don't even know where you'd put your car in France if you couldn't parallel park.

    Come to think of it though, French cars are typically much smaller and easier to squeeze into small parking spots.

  • Skills That Can Save You Money Part 1: Parallel Parking   16 years 5 weeks ago

    heh, i'm always amazed at the age some people can reach without ever learning to parallel park. i brag, but i am an excellent parallel parker. and actually, i DID have to parallel park for my driving test, oh so many years ago, maybe it varied by state.

  • Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Flour Tortillas that Taste Great!   16 years 5 weeks ago

    These make the most delicious quesadillas!! 

    Sonja Stewart

     

  • Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Delicious Homemade Gluten-Free Bread   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I would say yes you can.  The main reason I don't is the cost.    I make my own blend from bulk flours and find it saves me cash.

     

     

    Sonja Stewart

    Gluten-free as a way of life can be easy, fun and inexpensive!

  • Skills That Can Save You Money Part 1: Parallel Parking   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I love that photo. I always pull up on my in-laws sidewalk if I'm doing a quick drop and yell out, "if you don't like my driving..." Someone always finishes it for me.

    I used to work in an office where the third-floor lunchroom office had a great view of the parking meter area on the street below. We would critique the parallel parking technique. My lesbian former-FBI agent boss was hilarious. Crank it now! Crank it now!

  • How to Make Moonshine   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Ok, let me make sure I understand the flavoring part. After distilling, mix fruit in and let it sit for a couple of weeks. At this point I will distill again? Also, when I distill again, will I pour the fruit in the still also or do not put the fruit in the still? Also, how important is it that the still is completely sealed? I will be making one of the homemade jobs out of an iron/steel pot and assume I will need to use the flour/water mix. Lastly, how can you tell what temperature your liquid is if it is sealed up in a pot with out a thermometer on it? Do you just slow heat until you get dripping and then back heat off to cause the top of your pot not to blow off? Thanks!

  • 18 Must Haves for the Business Traveler   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Great ideas Nora! I didn't know about the recovery ID program and always worry someone will steal my laptop, what a GREAT way to protect my belongings. I will be forwarding this to my road warrior friends!

  • You’re Fired! 20 Signs That a Pink Slip is Coming   16 years 5 weeks ago

    (24) If your boss refers you to the EAP (Employee Assistance Program), it's time to start looking for another job. Your boss cannot force you to get counseling, nor can she check to see if you are going. But it is often the first nail in the coffin.

    I advise you to follow your gut instinct. If you think you may be fired, something is wrong. Always keep an updated resume, no matter how secure you believe your job to be.

  • Cheapest Ways to Get Your Caffeine Fix   16 years 5 weeks ago

    As a Brit and lifelong tea drinker (my tea habit is at least six mugs a day, probably more), let me say a few things about tea brands. Firstly, Lipton's Yellow Label is a horrid abomination foist on the rest of the world. You will almost never see it in the UK because it tastes horrid! PG Tips is the leading British tea brand, although Tetley is also popular. Both are tasty and cheap. My preferred tea is Yorkshire Tea from Taylor's of Harrogate, which is a strong and flavourful tea, only slightly more expensive than the ordinary kinds. I'm not sure how widely available these brands are in the US, but do investigate.

  • Ask the Readers: Save Money on Rent? (Chance to win $20!)   16 years 5 weeks ago

    The best way to save is to live with other people. You get to share utility bills, cable, garbage...etc. Plus rent is usually a lot cheaper when you're splitting.

    Also, don't be afraid to share a room with someone. If you're one that isn't home frequently, it can be worth the savings.

  • How to Answer 23 of the Most Common Interview Questions   16 years 5 weeks ago

    The best way I find to answer these two questions would be to talk about how efficient and reliant you are in performing your aily duties; comment on your organizational skills; your time management and excellent organizationa skills; outstanding work ethics; team player; ability to wear many hats and going the extra mile to get a job done. As far as weaknesses are concerned, we all have weaknesses. What one is an expert in, you may have a weakness in: for instance, the HR recruiter is an expert in what he/she does and you may not share the same expertise; however, you may be an expert in taking meeting minutes or you may be an expert engineer or doctor and the HR person would have weaknesses in these areas. So my friends, we all have weaknesses when we compare ourselves to one another. Hey, I can't change a flat tire or cook to good, but I am a great at computers and office management. Hope this helps.

  • Ask the Readers: Save Money on Rent? (Chance to win $20!)   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Because I think i'm about to learn something new in reading the other responses. I had no idea until we moved into our current place that rent is negotiable. We were looking for a place in a certain range and had an agent assisting us in locating it. We were able to talk the landlord down by $150/month and also found out he was flexible on the lease terms. They were looking for someone to rent out the place for at least a year, but we were able to get them to 6 months and then month to month thereafter. I guess you don't know unless you ask!

  • Ask the Readers: Would You Relocate for the Perfect Job? (Chance to win!)   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I'm on the process of building a web-based business, so as long as I have good link speed (DSL min), I could go almost anywhere. I'm almost (80%) paraplegic, so some of the Western States are out of the running. I'm also very strongly Libertarian, which crosses off some of the North Eastern States, along with Hawaii and California.
    Although it sounds as if I wouldn't move from Indiana, I would if the right place came open. The problem for most people is that the "perfect job," is more than just the job. It involves pay, commute times, neighborhoods, cost of living, etc. If you focus only on the money, you end up with places that have a high cost of living. If you spend so much to live there that you make "less money," then it isn't really the "perfect job."
    Moving across town, or inside the state, is an easier decision than across the country.

  • 20 Signs That You Were Raised By TRUE Money-Savers   16 years 5 weeks ago

    It is so weird, because when I was younger, I loved butter with sugar on white bread! I ask other people I know if they ever tried it and they have a putrid response also. Another thing that I remember my grandma doing is, after cooking bacon earlier, she would soak up a piece of bread with bacon grease and eat it...now THAT is disgusting. Also, we ate ALOT of macaroni, tomato, and hamburger stew. I think this was all part of being frugal and poor.

  • Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Delicious Homemade Gluten-Free Bread   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Can you substitute a pre-mixed, gluten-free all purpose flour for your mix? I have the Bob's Mill gf all purpose flour.

  • Cheapest Ways to Get Your Caffeine Fix   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Cheaper than Tetley even: I buy 100 bags of black or green tea at my local asian market for about $3. Probably about the same quality as Tetley. Also might be cheaper to buy loose tea in bulk some places.

  • Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Flour Tortillas that Taste Great!   16 years 5 weeks ago

    My poor little son doesn't like corn tortillas so I am very happy to find this recipe! Now he can eat (almost) what the rest of us are eating.

    And even if only a few people had celiac disease or a problem with wheat, of course that warrants a whole cookbook! Why shouldn't those people have a resource that will allow them to eat a variety of foods just like the rest of us, without ruining their health? Have a little sympathy for others.

  • Cheapest Ways to Get Your Caffeine Fix   16 years 5 weeks ago

    how much do they cost...? (ba-dap tishhhh)

  • Cheapest Ways to Get Your Caffeine Fix   16 years 5 weeks ago

    In an effort to spend less money on coffee a few years ago, I purchased a Bruegger's Bottomless Coffee Card for ~$125. (This year's card was up to ~$140 with tax.) This replaced a $5 a day latte habit with drip coffee (bonus lower calorie count) two to three times a day. As it's good at all outlets, I've been able to reduce my cost per cup to around $0.26 the last couple of years. Bruegger's charges $1.79 for a medium drip coffee; at that price I consider that I recovered my initial investment in less that two months.

    For giggles I record my coffee consumption and the amount of deviation from the program with daytum: http://daytum.com/displays/118711

    So, Bruegger's isn't exactly global. Do any other coffee retailers offer similar programs?

  • Ask the Readers: Save Money on Rent? (Chance to win $20!)   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I am the landlord, so, I negotiate to pay very little for a lot, but, all girls have to share the property, so, it is a bit crowed, but it works, since the rules are very much understood