How about Mental Health Counselor? To be licensed you need a Master's degree and a ton of internship hours. The pay is only between 30k to 40k in many states with 40 being on the high end. It is a lot of work. Sometimes it can be dangerous depending on the type of population you work with. It can sometimes be rewarding, but you can't live too comfortably on a counselor salary.
I attempted to get my house refinanced. I had a full blown appraisal done 8 months earlier through a VA appraiser. I decided to change banks since I wasn't satisfied with the rates since it appeared they kept going up. Recently, I decided to go with a local bank and they send out an unlicensed appraiser who evaluated my home. The value dropped by 60K. I live in a neighborhood where the supply and demand is steady. Construction of new homes are constant. The appraiser compared my house to ones that were not equal, older, or smaller than my home. She also made mistakes regarding my roof. I brought this to my lender but to no avail. Can this happen? Nothing has change in the neighborhood or my home.
I play around with my credit all the time. Last run in the Markets for me hit me hard, and I borrowed where I shouldn't have been borrowing for that type of capital. That said, FICO has taken a hit, however, my plan is to buy some solid equity investments (Bonds, etc..) and borrow secured against those to kill down/off any balances on my CC's. Sure, I'll still be paying interest in the long-run, but my belief is the interest will be much lower than the CCs, AND, I should be able to keep the CC accounts open given the borrowing is secured to pay them down/off. No need to close any revolving-accounts if I don't have to.
I try to find thoughtful gifts that I think those who are closest to me will get a lot of use out of. I don't always buy things either, I make some things like cookies or offer my help with projects. And for those rare things that are bought, I look for good quality and value.
If you really hate your job but feel like finding another one isn't an option for some reason (maybe you don't have the qualifications or feel like the other job would be just as bad), consider becoming a virtual assistant. This is something you can start doing on the side and grow into a full time business. Read more: http://www.freebiefindingmom.com/how-to-become-a-virtual-assistant/
The stocking stuffers! I always forgot to budget for them. Now I put aside $50 or per stocking (2). It's easier now that our girls older - a little makeup, GC to the movie theater, and a small big of candy.
Several years ago we started buying for the only the children in the family who are 18 years and under. Not only do we save money but the children's joy in receiving gifts is so much more fun that the adults!
What utter claptrap this pointless article is! Different people will make very different use of kitchen equipment to suit there own needs. I use many of these items week in, week out with great results (and the only serious issues I have had with reliability has been with hand blenders!). So what does that prove? Just that my experiences are different to yours.
Can't disagree more about the immersion blender. I use it for soups, gravy, sauces, among other things and it is invaluable. It is my favorite kitchen tool.
Plus it's so easy to clean.
Never close off vents to unused rooms from the furnace because the circulated air that is intended for the closed off room will affect the furnace in a few ways. It will make the furnace work harder because the air is circulating within the ducts and can cause the ducts to leak. the lower air flow can also cause the furnace to use more energy since it has to adjust itself. The compressor can break down and the heat exchanger can crack. The unused rooms are also susceptible to condensation and a higher risk of mold.
Correction: An earlier version of this article noted that Dillard's has given its employees the day off on Thanksgiving "since 2011." A Dillard's spokesperson emailed to let us know that the company has been doing so since its founding 77 years ago. We have updated the article to reflect that.
I don't agree with your assessment of the immersion blender - if one cooks and eats soups or makes dips and humus frequently, it gets used A LOT. Mine also has whisk and chopper attachments and is used to mince meat, turn nuts or millet or oats into meal/flour. It's the one small kitchen appliance I'll always own. I do cook 90% of all my meals so not everyone may feel the same.
Another favorite is the electric tea kettle - I drink french press coffee and tea/infusions daily, I use it to heat or boil water for pasta or steaming vegetables as it's faster (and I hope more energy efficient) than waiting for a pot of water to boil on the stove.
I do agree on the ice cream maker. A gift wasted on me.
Omg lol I'm sorry but the official requirements to work as an English teacher in China (under a work visa) have changed as of late 2013. Unless you want to work there illegally, you need at least a BA and a TESOL/TEFL certificate. I would not recommend anyone to teach overseas who isn't serious about teaching. I taught in Linyi, China for a year and half the teachers there were lazy assholes/idiots. All they were doing was wasting the students time and the parents money. And it was one of the most stressful jobs I have ever had, the most stressful! More research and interviewing needed for this article. Cheers ^_^
In recent years my family has pared down gift giving to pets, children, and drawing names among the adults so there's only one adult to buy for, and we also set a limit (say $50 or so), so it doesn't get outrageous. I also use coupons and credit card points and go through sites like Ebates when buying gifts whenever possible, and I put everything on a cash back credit card.
Nice list but I have to disagree with the bread maker and immersion blender.
Our bread machine gets used a lot, mostly for dough so that we can make things like homemade pizza without needing to spend several hours kneading etc.
Our immersion blender gets used WAY more that our counter top blender, soups especially (using it in a crock pot soup makes things so much simpler than needing to try and put 6 quarts of soup into a blender).
We have one that comes apart so the bottom goes into the dishwasher and it is kept very handy.
We also use our George grill for panini and it is way simpler to pull the grates off and throw them in the dishwasher than to get out 2 pans, heat them both to the point they will grill and get a good crisp sandwich, not to mention it does 2 at a time so in about 11 minutes (5 minutes per cycle, 1 minute to heat back up) I can make dinner for 4 once everything is prepped.
YMMV but I would spend the $$$ on those again in a heartbeat.
How about Mental Health Counselor? To be licensed you need a Master's degree and a ton of internship hours. The pay is only between 30k to 40k in many states with 40 being on the high end. It is a lot of work. Sometimes it can be dangerous depending on the type of population you work with. It can sometimes be rewarding, but you can't live too comfortably on a counselor salary.
I make a lot of my gifts throughout the year.
This year we are giving dried and ground spices from our garden. Totally organic and always useful.
I attempted to get my house refinanced. I had a full blown appraisal done 8 months earlier through a VA appraiser. I decided to change banks since I wasn't satisfied with the rates since it appeared they kept going up. Recently, I decided to go with a local bank and they send out an unlicensed appraiser who evaluated my home. The value dropped by 60K. I live in a neighborhood where the supply and demand is steady. Construction of new homes are constant. The appraiser compared my house to ones that were not equal, older, or smaller than my home. She also made mistakes regarding my roof. I brought this to my lender but to no avail. Can this happen? Nothing has change in the neighborhood or my home.
I save money by watching for sales and also using coupon codes.
i did at least half the things u say and i failed. guess i have to try the other half
I play around with my credit all the time. Last run in the Markets for me hit me hard, and I borrowed where I shouldn't have been borrowing for that type of capital. That said, FICO has taken a hit, however, my plan is to buy some solid equity investments (Bonds, etc..) and borrow secured against those to kill down/off any balances on my CC's. Sure, I'll still be paying interest in the long-run, but my belief is the interest will be much lower than the CCs, AND, I should be able to keep the CC accounts open given the borrowing is secured to pay them down/off. No need to close any revolving-accounts if I don't have to.
Nice Collection of Coupon and Deals Websites, Hope you will also add this emerging Coupon and Deals website in the list : http://gograbby.com
Thanks a lot :)
I try to find thoughtful gifts that I think those who are closest to me will get a lot of use out of. I don't always buy things either, I make some things like cookies or offer my help with projects. And for those rare things that are bought, I look for good quality and value.
If you really hate your job but feel like finding another one isn't an option for some reason (maybe you don't have the qualifications or feel like the other job would be just as bad), consider becoming a virtual assistant. This is something you can start doing on the side and grow into a full time business. Read more: http://www.freebiefindingmom.com/how-to-become-a-virtual-assistant/
The stocking stuffers! I always forgot to budget for them. Now I put aside $50 or per stocking (2). It's easier now that our girls older - a little makeup, GC to the movie theater, and a small big of candy.
Several years ago we started buying for the only the children in the family who are 18 years and under. Not only do we save money but the children's joy in receiving gifts is so much more fun that the adults!
What utter claptrap this pointless article is! Different people will make very different use of kitchen equipment to suit there own needs. I use many of these items week in, week out with great results (and the only serious issues I have had with reliability has been with hand blenders!). So what does that prove? Just that my experiences are different to yours.
Can't disagree more about the immersion blender. I use it for soups, gravy, sauces, among other things and it is invaluable. It is my favorite kitchen tool.
Plus it's so easy to clean.
what if you have few to no friends and have had no success in making new ones?
it ought to be a crime.
Nurse/slave
Never close off vents to unused rooms from the furnace because the circulated air that is intended for the closed off room will affect the furnace in a few ways. It will make the furnace work harder because the air is circulating within the ducts and can cause the ducts to leak. the lower air flow can also cause the furnace to use more energy since it has to adjust itself. The compressor can break down and the heat exchanger can crack. The unused rooms are also susceptible to condensation and a higher risk of mold.
Resource: http://www.energyvanguard.com/blog-building-science-HERS-BPI/bid/76258/C...
What's your take on toaster ovens?
Strange list. Who gets rid of a stand up mixer? I wonder if you can go to a bakery and find hand mixers.
I save on holiday gifts by shopping for their needs. Those are the best gifts! I also check out Retailmenot.com and price compare online.
Correction: An earlier version of this article noted that Dillard's has given its employees the day off on Thanksgiving "since 2011." A Dillard's spokesperson emailed to let us know that the company has been doing so since its founding 77 years ago. We have updated the article to reflect that.
I don't agree with your assessment of the immersion blender - if one cooks and eats soups or makes dips and humus frequently, it gets used A LOT. Mine also has whisk and chopper attachments and is used to mince meat, turn nuts or millet or oats into meal/flour. It's the one small kitchen appliance I'll always own. I do cook 90% of all my meals so not everyone may feel the same.
Another favorite is the electric tea kettle - I drink french press coffee and tea/infusions daily, I use it to heat or boil water for pasta or steaming vegetables as it's faster (and I hope more energy efficient) than waiting for a pot of water to boil on the stove.
I do agree on the ice cream maker. A gift wasted on me.
Omg lol I'm sorry but the official requirements to work as an English teacher in China (under a work visa) have changed as of late 2013. Unless you want to work there illegally, you need at least a BA and a TESOL/TEFL certificate. I would not recommend anyone to teach overseas who isn't serious about teaching. I taught in Linyi, China for a year and half the teachers there were lazy assholes/idiots. All they were doing was wasting the students time and the parents money. And it was one of the most stressful jobs I have ever had, the most stressful! More research and interviewing needed for this article. Cheers ^_^
In recent years my family has pared down gift giving to pets, children, and drawing names among the adults so there's only one adult to buy for, and we also set a limit (say $50 or so), so it doesn't get outrageous. I also use coupons and credit card points and go through sites like Ebates when buying gifts whenever possible, and I put everything on a cash back credit card.
Nice list but I have to disagree with the bread maker and immersion blender.
Our bread machine gets used a lot, mostly for dough so that we can make things like homemade pizza without needing to spend several hours kneading etc.
Our immersion blender gets used WAY more that our counter top blender, soups especially (using it in a crock pot soup makes things so much simpler than needing to try and put 6 quarts of soup into a blender).
We have one that comes apart so the bottom goes into the dishwasher and it is kept very handy.
We also use our George grill for panini and it is way simpler to pull the grates off and throw them in the dishwasher than to get out 2 pans, heat them both to the point they will grill and get a good crisp sandwich, not to mention it does 2 at a time so in about 11 minutes (5 minutes per cycle, 1 minute to heat back up) I can make dinner for 4 once everything is prepped.
YMMV but I would spend the $$$ on those again in a heartbeat.