My boyfriend and I have a (delicious) problem with Thai iced coffee, and it doesn't help that we live on the edge of Thai Town. As he puts it, "These are like my milkshakes." I would never say that, though, because I love milkshakes on their own merits.
Our water bill for the year! It was supposed to be about $200, but quickly climbed to over $600 for water that was nasty to drink. Not to mention the HOA bills that quickly were raised as well. We lived out in the country, there was a 70's era clubhouse and a pool. There was also a pond and a playground for our several hundred dollars a year dues, but it was not worth it. SO glad we moved to our own property and now have control over whatever we would like to do within the county's limits.
We cut our cable cord last year. I was really skeptical that we would be able to stick to it, but I never missed it at all. We also cancelled our netflix subscription at the same time. We do have an antenna, so the kids can watch the occasional PBS shows, and we can watch shows on the big networks.
I am a huge NFL fan, so we got NFL rewind and we watch the game we are interested in at night, once the kids go to bed. $40 for the whole season.
I watch shows on Hulu (not Hulu plus), and those available online at the networks. We borrow movies from the library. The library rocks. I would highly recommend checking out the entertainment options from your library.
We ended up saving over $100/month last year. That is huge. And I rarely feel deprived. The kids have never complained either.
Great post. It's the little things that turn into big things and lead to financial failure. Little things do count and a little debt is a big deal. I recently added up how much interest I paid on a few credit cards that I carried a balance on, and it was really eye opening. Interest never sleeps and never takes holidays. It just keeps adding up.
Wise advice. Time really does fly by, and it's great to have those saving habits ingrained as soon as you start earning your first paycheck. And #6 is so important as well. I notice as my friends get older, there seems to be a certain amount of entitlement. ("I should be able to afford to take my family on a 2 week cruise... I should be able to afford a 2500 square foot house") which leads them to splurge on these things, even if they can't really afford to.
When I was a kid it baffled me that some homes didn't have cable because I treasured my nighttime shows like Rugrats or All That. But now that I think about it, kids these days would actually benefit from not having cable. My younger brother who is 12 years my junior-9 years old- spends way more time indoors on the TV or video games than I ever did. Especially during summer months when there is no excuse to be inside all day long, I think its a good idea to cut the cable chord if not only for your bank account, but for the well-being of the kids!
I built a business and work a full time job. In the first year, I made a grand total of $480 profit. The second year was a lot better (roughly 50% of my full time job). Now, I and my partners are pulling in two incomes (our full time jobs, and our own business). We have no weekends, we have no evenings, and our families have forgotten what we look like, but we're happy and building towards our goal... and because we're balancing full time jobs, we're debt free. Our day job paychecks are going into our business when we need to raise capital. It is great to see our balance sheets and sales grow every month, and it is awesome to know that we're being stalked by bigger companies in our industry (Can you say BUY OUT?! :D), but at the same time, it is one of the hardest things we have EVER done. We've had fights, blow ups, marital stress, and family stress. We've lost friends, vacation opportunities and have completely fallen behind in pop culture references... but we're debt free which makes it very hard for us to go out of business!
Is it difficult? Yes. I wouldn't recommend it unless you know that you can sacrifice EVERYTHING in your life to one goal for years on end. Because it isn't easy.
I'm currently working with my kinds on the savings issue. So far, I encouraged them to divide their allowance into two money boxes: one for any basic needs they may have (sweets, toys, etc.) and the other one for the actual savings from which they can't simple get the money out. So far it's working quite nice.
I totally agree. I shop thrift store before retail abd as replacement clothes. I recently began losing weight and needed to find a replacement pair of "true" cargo pants. I always find cargo pants in thift stores.
AND I found a Mighty mouse vintage- tee at a $10 bag sale. That's $10 for ALL you can fit into 1 bag- I filled mine with cute tees.
This is an old folk remedy from an old English medicine book (circa1970's):
Take a tall glass (10 oz's or there about) fill with cold water. Take a teaspoon(or tablespoon if you are using a really tall glass) I use stainless steel. Put the teaspoon (or tablespoon if it's a really tall glass) in the cup.
Now drink from the cup while the teaspoon is in the water , making sure the handle of the teaspoon is hitting the outside skin of your eye, near the temple, as it sits in the water you are drinking.
Keep drinking without stopping, and the hiccups will go away.
I reckon it's the stimulation so many nerves at once that does it - swallowing, taste, the sensation of cold, pressure by the eye (highly sensitive area) that overwhelms the nerves and stops the spasms. Works for me!
I gamble by buying scratchers (and occasionally buying a lottery ticket), and by occasionally playing the video machines if I'm at a casino (my limit is $60 in, and then I'm out, no matter of my winnings!).
I look at it as a small expense for a silly time with friends that could possibly pay out big!
We just cut cable out of our house as well, but we are sticking with Netflix (no commercials!) and Hulu Plus (newer shows! more seasons!). If we want to rent a new movie we just put a hold on it at the library and wait until it comes out way.
I see everyone talking about pro-sports being an issue, and while I know there is more to life than the NFL, that was a HUGE reason of why we were paying to have a certain provider.
Turns out though, that because we have a PS3 (which we use as a gaming console, blu-ray player, and internet streamer) we can purchase the Ticket (for the entire NFL season) for one set price up front. Of course, it's a lot, but it's much nicer paying it in one massive bill than having it as a constant drain on our pocketbooks. (Not only that, but you can purchase MLBtv on the PS3 for the entire season as well, and it's pretty inexpensive!)
When the Dollar Tree first came to Moultrie, GA, they had these jars with screw on lids that could sit on their sides, just wondering where I could possible find some. I had 4 of them but the last one finally broke
The flipside of this is, for some people that are in the home nearly 24/7, cable and TiVo can be quite a value. I'd never go without a DVR again. I save quite enough in other areas.
This is kind of boring compared to photography and other artistic pursuits, however I learned the programming language Python and it was the best thing I ever did. I now earn money (outside of my day job) on providing small businesses with their IT requirements. I'm not the finished article and there is a ton of stuff I don't know, however I know enough to earn money and that is all I wanted to do when I embarked upon my 6 class course and I can do a load of stuff for my own websites.
1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar works everytime for us. I thought we were the only ones who did this and then I read about this girl in the States who is producing Apple Cider vinegar lollipops to cure hiccups.
Try it - I guarantee it works.
I like South Indian and Vietnamese style coffees. A bit sweet, but delish. I guess they are pour-over styles technically, but the filters are different.
Sports are the big killer because you usually have to have cable or satellite to get games now.
Other ways to save - if you already have Amazon Prime, you have access to quite a few movies and TV shows for free. Also, if you already have an XBox or PS3 or you have an Internet capable TV, you don't need the Roku box. That's been the main reason I've not gotten one. My XBox handles Netflix and Hulu and my Internet cable TV ($130 Vizio model) handles Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Those both sound awesome.
My boyfriend and I have a (delicious) problem with Thai iced coffee, and it doesn't help that we live on the edge of Thai Town. As he puts it, "These are like my milkshakes." I would never say that, though, because I love milkshakes on their own merits.
Our water bill for the year! It was supposed to be about $200, but quickly climbed to over $600 for water that was nasty to drink. Not to mention the HOA bills that quickly were raised as well. We lived out in the country, there was a 70's era clubhouse and a pool. There was also a pond and a playground for our several hundred dollars a year dues, but it was not worth it. SO glad we moved to our own property and now have control over whatever we would like to do within the county's limits.
We cut our cable cord last year. I was really skeptical that we would be able to stick to it, but I never missed it at all. We also cancelled our netflix subscription at the same time. We do have an antenna, so the kids can watch the occasional PBS shows, and we can watch shows on the big networks.
I am a huge NFL fan, so we got NFL rewind and we watch the game we are interested in at night, once the kids go to bed. $40 for the whole season.
I watch shows on Hulu (not Hulu plus), and those available online at the networks. We borrow movies from the library. The library rocks. I would highly recommend checking out the entertainment options from your library.
We ended up saving over $100/month last year. That is huge. And I rarely feel deprived. The kids have never complained either.
Great post. It's the little things that turn into big things and lead to financial failure. Little things do count and a little debt is a big deal. I recently added up how much interest I paid on a few credit cards that I carried a balance on, and it was really eye opening. Interest never sleeps and never takes holidays. It just keeps adding up.
Wise advice. Time really does fly by, and it's great to have those saving habits ingrained as soon as you start earning your first paycheck. And #6 is so important as well. I notice as my friends get older, there seems to be a certain amount of entitlement. ("I should be able to afford to take my family on a 2 week cruise... I should be able to afford a 2500 square foot house") which leads them to splurge on these things, even if they can't really afford to.
Thanks for the mention
Thanks for highlighting our article on discussing money in front of kids!
i'd be willing to cancel if I could still get my college football games, NBA, and NFL games
When I was a kid it baffled me that some homes didn't have cable because I treasured my nighttime shows like Rugrats or All That. But now that I think about it, kids these days would actually benefit from not having cable. My younger brother who is 12 years my junior-9 years old- spends way more time indoors on the TV or video games than I ever did. Especially during summer months when there is no excuse to be inside all day long, I think its a good idea to cut the cable chord if not only for your bank account, but for the well-being of the kids!
Thank you for the link!
I built a business and work a full time job. In the first year, I made a grand total of $480 profit. The second year was a lot better (roughly 50% of my full time job). Now, I and my partners are pulling in two incomes (our full time jobs, and our own business). We have no weekends, we have no evenings, and our families have forgotten what we look like, but we're happy and building towards our goal... and because we're balancing full time jobs, we're debt free. Our day job paychecks are going into our business when we need to raise capital. It is great to see our balance sheets and sales grow every month, and it is awesome to know that we're being stalked by bigger companies in our industry (Can you say BUY OUT?! :D), but at the same time, it is one of the hardest things we have EVER done. We've had fights, blow ups, marital stress, and family stress. We've lost friends, vacation opportunities and have completely fallen behind in pop culture references... but we're debt free which makes it very hard for us to go out of business!
Is it difficult? Yes. I wouldn't recommend it unless you know that you can sacrifice EVERYTHING in your life to one goal for years on end. Because it isn't easy.
I'm currently working with my kinds on the savings issue. So far, I encouraged them to divide their allowance into two money boxes: one for any basic needs they may have (sweets, toys, etc.) and the other one for the actual savings from which they can't simple get the money out. So far it's working quite nice.
If u see someone's wallet lying on a road with full of money in it,what would u do?
I totally agree. I shop thrift store before retail abd as replacement clothes. I recently began losing weight and needed to find a replacement pair of "true" cargo pants. I always find cargo pants in thift stores.
AND I found a Mighty mouse vintage- tee at a $10 bag sale. That's $10 for ALL you can fit into 1 bag- I filled mine with cute tees.
This is an old folk remedy from an old English medicine book (circa1970's):
Take a tall glass (10 oz's or there about) fill with cold water. Take a teaspoon(or tablespoon if you are using a really tall glass) I use stainless steel. Put the teaspoon (or tablespoon if it's a really tall glass) in the cup.
Now drink from the cup while the teaspoon is in the water , making sure the handle of the teaspoon is hitting the outside skin of your eye, near the temple, as it sits in the water you are drinking.
Keep drinking without stopping, and the hiccups will go away.
I reckon it's the stimulation so many nerves at once that does it - swallowing, taste, the sensation of cold, pressure by the eye (highly sensitive area) that overwhelms the nerves and stops the spasms. Works for me!
Also - I "like" you on FB!
I gamble by buying scratchers (and occasionally buying a lottery ticket), and by occasionally playing the video machines if I'm at a casino (my limit is $60 in, and then I'm out, no matter of my winnings!).
I look at it as a small expense for a silly time with friends that could possibly pay out big!
We just cut cable out of our house as well, but we are sticking with Netflix (no commercials!) and Hulu Plus (newer shows! more seasons!). If we want to rent a new movie we just put a hold on it at the library and wait until it comes out way.
I see everyone talking about pro-sports being an issue, and while I know there is more to life than the NFL, that was a HUGE reason of why we were paying to have a certain provider.
Turns out though, that because we have a PS3 (which we use as a gaming console, blu-ray player, and internet streamer) we can purchase the Ticket (for the entire NFL season) for one set price up front. Of course, it's a lot, but it's much nicer paying it in one massive bill than having it as a constant drain on our pocketbooks. (Not only that, but you can purchase MLBtv on the PS3 for the entire season as well, and it's pretty inexpensive!)
Just had to throw in my two cents!
When the Dollar Tree first came to Moultrie, GA, they had these jars with screw on lids that could sit on their sides, just wondering where I could possible find some. I had 4 of them but the last one finally broke
The flipside of this is, for some people that are in the home nearly 24/7, cable and TiVo can be quite a value. I'd never go without a DVR again. I save quite enough in other areas.
Also free-couponcodes.com is a pretty good one.
This is kind of boring compared to photography and other artistic pursuits, however I learned the programming language Python and it was the best thing I ever did. I now earn money (outside of my day job) on providing small businesses with their IT requirements. I'm not the finished article and there is a ton of stuff I don't know, however I know enough to earn money and that is all I wanted to do when I embarked upon my 6 class course and I can do a load of stuff for my own websites.
1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar works everytime for us. I thought we were the only ones who did this and then I read about this girl in the States who is producing Apple Cider vinegar lollipops to cure hiccups.
Try it - I guarantee it works.
What is WITH pour-over people? Such snobs.
I like South Indian and Vietnamese style coffees. A bit sweet, but delish. I guess they are pour-over styles technically, but the filters are different.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_filter_coffee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_iced_coffee
Sports are the big killer because you usually have to have cable or satellite to get games now.
Other ways to save - if you already have Amazon Prime, you have access to quite a few movies and TV shows for free. Also, if you already have an XBox or PS3 or you have an Internet capable TV, you don't need the Roku box. That's been the main reason I've not gotten one. My XBox handles Netflix and Hulu and my Internet cable TV ($130 Vizio model) handles Netflix and Amazon Prime.