I agree with many of the responses above. My experience with holiday giving is a little different.
I live in the midwest, in an area that has been economically hard-hit for the last few years. When I visited the wish tree at the libarary this year, I was humbled and saddened by the gifts that some children had asked for, such as an 8 yr-old girl asking for "book about dogs" and a 12 yr-old boy asking for "colored pencils and sketch pad". There were also many children who asked for things like shoes, backpacks, and clothes. Our office also sponsored a family of 6 for our "Adopt a Family" program. The family was referred to us by the teacher and guidance counselor of a local school. The kids asked for simple things, like a watch, a sweater, toy cars, etc. I know that some people are offended when the parents ask for gifts, but these parents asked for towels, pots & pans, and blankets--hardly extravagant.
I would probably be upset by kids asking for expensive gifts, but that hasn't been my experience.
I never knew about this! It's very interesting that you got credited for the whole amount. The initial email after buying it would have made me nervous.
It seems curious to me that people go to such great lengths to use potentially illegal means to purchase legal downloads. Wouldn't it be more sensible just to cut out the middle man who is probably a criminal making money to commit more crime and just get music for free off a P2P or torrent site?
Allie, I am from Minnesota, and no it is not 3 years. My niece just went through this where she lasted rented. The payments had not been made for 6 months, the townhouse then went to a sheriff's auction. No one submitted an acceptable bid. She still stayed. Another 90 days went by and she was told she had 60 days to move, but if she left it clean and in 30 days the bank would give her $2,000 in moving expences. Needless to say she found a new place and moved out within 30 days! So, no it is not 3 years of non-payment. Now, with so many foreclosed on here, the bank might not have checked to see if the house was vacant, so any rent paid went into the original owner's pockets. Have them call who holds the mortgage about getting money for moving expenses.
I've heard of other deals like this...I don't quite remember what the card or product was...from a friend of mine. She eventually got too freaked out over possibly being defrauded that she didn't bite, so I'm glad to hear about it from someone who actually went through with the deal. I'd be fascinated to know Apple's take on it...
When I worked at the grocery store, we had forever stamps for sale about 90% of the time. They were at every register where I worked, though sometimes they're just at the customer service desk; grocery clerks have zero interest in up-selling stamps, so you can get them with little hassle. Just something to consider. :-)
Perhaps a cover for money laundering? It kind of goes along with the discussion of whether the infant formula checks being sold on Ebay contributes to the dark economy, as well. Do let us know if you hear any concrete dirt on the practice of iTunes dealings, won't you? And I appreciate the heads up via a thought-provoking article!
I like forever stamps because I use stamps so infrequently. I pay almost all of my bills online and I don't send letters or cards via the mail. Only my rent needs to be mailed so on average I'm using one stamp a month. The packet of 20 forever stamps I bought last summer will last me until sometime this fall. If the price goes up I won't have to scrounge around for those annoying "make-up stamps."
I need this book, my kids make fun of me because i'm so backward when it comes to tech stuff. Let me know if they ever come out with a book on cellphones, tv remotes, etc Thank You..
I once did the analysis on forever stamps to see if they were a potential investment. It came close, but not quite. My mom heard prices are going up again in 2009 so I'm going ahead and getting all the stamps I'm going to need for wedding invites this year.
I hadn't heard they were being phased out either, and we just stocked up this summer for the exact reasons you mentioned. We got sick of getting caught with our proverbial pants down when it came to those odd items we did need stamps for.
There is no mention of this from USPS directly. I know that they were phasing out over 23,000 stamp vending machines, but I don't know about the forever stamp.
The fact sheet at USPS.com just states that it will cost whatever the current rate of postage is at the time, but that a new stamp will not be issued each time. This forum post states that the stamp will be sold until they decide to stop selling them. Not really an answer, but no evidence to support the theory that what's in stock is all there will ever be.
Can anyone confirm or deny the phasing out of the stamp?
I thought the post office is phasing out the forever stamps. At least that is what I heard from the news. Last year I remember them saying that once the post office sale off their existing inventory, they will not print anymore.
I don't get it -- when something is too good to be true, it is just that -- NOT TRUE. From these ridiculous scams to celebrities being taken in by Madoff, when will people learn that you get what you pay for?
Once people learn these really simple lessons, they won't be taken advantage of quite so easily.
Also, when people start talking about what good christians they are, that should be a dead giveaway to run like hell. (No pun intended.) I think the bible says you'd know 'em by their actions. They shouldn't need to advertise the fact that they are good people.
Hello Nora, this is Andy of HoboTraveler.com Travel Blog, it was nice to discover another Hobo. I have traveled for over 10 years, almost 11, maybe 12, not really positive.
I can live on between 5 to 20 US per day, the 20 is easy, the five takes concentration. I lived in 5 for about four years until the invention of adsense.
I went over you list of expenses and I am not sure how long you have traveled? However, the longer a person travels, then many of the thing on your list will disappear as you see the are irrelevant.
Thanks for the information, the link will eventually work its way to my site. I do wish I could find this on your site.
not at all.. i wasted some of my life of getting up tp 87, now i see that it's total waste of money/time of a stupid nerd game like Runescape. you will change your mind, and think "oh... i've wasted my whole life on this stupid game" when you get older...
My hubby and I backpacked for a year, mostly in Asia, but we also spent 3 weeks in Europe, back in 2002.
It cost us a little less than $20K USD including our return ticket to North America for the entire year.
Wonderful year... The experience was every bit worth it, and it is definitely a great way to cleanse oneself from materialism and consumerism ways, and learn to be frugal in a fun, exciting, and sometimes scary way. ;-)
I think one of the more important things to consider is that each "giver" is coming from a different perspective, just as each "receiver" is doing the same thing. In any charity, there will be people who think, "I'm going to try and squeeze as much juice out of this as I can," and there will be kids who say, "I don't think it's very possible, but all of my friends have an iPod, and I'd really like one too." There will also be givers who don't feel comfortable spending $100+ on a gift for a stranger when they have limits for their own children family...and there will be givers/groups who have $600 to spend, and can fill those "hope against hopes."
Everyone needs to find a charity that fits in with their own perspective. I'm at my first job after graduation, and this past Christmas, only one of my gifts given was more than $30 (ironically, it was an iPod). My aunt, third-in-command at a local large business with a 6-figure income, routinely gives $400+ worth of gifts to each of her 3 nephews and nieces.
When the Christmas charities came calling, I chose a family who wanted to, in their words, "have a family night." A gift card to Blockbuster, popcorn and some candy, and Clue cost me $35, and will hopefully give them what they wanted.
I saw a news report of a very professional, well spoken "agent" meeting someone at a house (that they had actually cleaned up and changed the locks on)...taking a deposit, letting the people move in...and two months later, the police shows up at their door and kicks them out? Why?.... because it was a bank owned home...that the scammers found was empty...which gave them plenty of time to do their dirty work. They had the person's deposit and two months rent and were gone...
The car on the bottem of the page is a manufacturer test vehicle. It's covered to conceal the looks of the new model before it is released... not to protect from scratches.
My hubby and I are in the same position, we did everything right when we bought our house 3 years ago, and now we can't sell because of all the foreclosures in the area, and we are stuck paying TWO payments every month (one rent, one mortgage)!! Had to move for a job so we rent and we pay the bank. Been that way for TWO G-damn years and I'm sick of it! The system that's helping out those lazy, greedy hoardes is preventing us from moving on. How long are we going to have to be good, responsible Americans and keep making these payments??? Not much longer. We're talking about the "walk", handing the keys back and taking the credit hit. The whole economy is in the tank, so I'm not as worried about my credit (which is over 750) anymore, we just want out!!
It would be great to be able to be seen as intelligent by my husband when it comes to computers. I'm sure he is tired of that "huh????" look I give him as he tries to explain something PC.
Would love the book. Thank You
Hi! If you find out your house is in foreclosure or being taken back by the bank or landlord filing bankruptcy, please move out immediately. Our friend here in town, her daughter lived in house on next block from us & she works at gas station & one of town cops told her it was being filed on for bankruptcy. He told her to find someplace to move & get all her stuff out of the house cause , if they didn't when he put a lock on the door in next few weeks ,they would lose everything they had inside & the bank would throw it all away& there is nothing that will be done about it, You lose everything thing you own if they put the lock on it while you are gone. The landlord never did tell them he was losing the place.This is accurate. I checked it out. Lisa in Ohio
I agree with many of the responses above. My experience with holiday giving is a little different.
I live in the midwest, in an area that has been economically hard-hit for the last few years. When I visited the wish tree at the libarary this year, I was humbled and saddened by the gifts that some children had asked for, such as an 8 yr-old girl asking for "book about dogs" and a 12 yr-old boy asking for "colored pencils and sketch pad". There were also many children who asked for things like shoes, backpacks, and clothes. Our office also sponsored a family of 6 for our "Adopt a Family" program. The family was referred to us by the teacher and guidance counselor of a local school. The kids asked for simple things, like a watch, a sweater, toy cars, etc. I know that some people are offended when the parents ask for gifts, but these parents asked for towels, pots & pans, and blankets--hardly extravagant.
I would probably be upset by kids asking for expensive gifts, but that hasn't been my experience.
I never knew about this! It's very interesting that you got credited for the whole amount. The initial email after buying it would have made me nervous.
It seems curious to me that people go to such great lengths to use potentially illegal means to purchase legal downloads. Wouldn't it be more sensible just to cut out the middle man who is probably a criminal making money to commit more crime and just get music for free off a P2P or torrent site?
Allie, I am from Minnesota, and no it is not 3 years. My niece just went through this where she lasted rented. The payments had not been made for 6 months, the townhouse then went to a sheriff's auction. No one submitted an acceptable bid. She still stayed. Another 90 days went by and she was told she had 60 days to move, but if she left it clean and in 30 days the bank would give her $2,000 in moving expences. Needless to say she found a new place and moved out within 30 days! So, no it is not 3 years of non-payment. Now, with so many foreclosed on here, the bank might not have checked to see if the house was vacant, so any rent paid went into the original owner's pockets. Have them call who holds the mortgage about getting money for moving expenses.
I've heard of other deals like this...I don't quite remember what the card or product was...from a friend of mine. She eventually got too freaked out over possibly being defrauded that she didn't bite, so I'm glad to hear about it from someone who actually went through with the deal. I'd be fascinated to know Apple's take on it...
When I worked at the grocery store, we had forever stamps for sale about 90% of the time. They were at every register where I worked, though sometimes they're just at the customer service desk; grocery clerks have zero interest in up-selling stamps, so you can get them with little hassle. Just something to consider. :-)
Perhaps a cover for money laundering? It kind of goes along with the discussion of whether the infant formula checks being sold on Ebay contributes to the dark economy, as well. Do let us know if you hear any concrete dirt on the practice of iTunes dealings, won't you? And I appreciate the heads up via a thought-provoking article!
Linsey Knerl
I like forever stamps because I use stamps so infrequently. I pay almost all of my bills online and I don't send letters or cards via the mail. Only my rent needs to be mailed so on average I'm using one stamp a month. The packet of 20 forever stamps I bought last summer will last me until sometime this fall. If the price goes up I won't have to scrounge around for those annoying "make-up stamps."
I need this book, my kids make fun of me because i'm so backward when it comes to tech stuff. Let me know if they ever come out with a book on cellphones, tv remotes, etc Thank You..
I once did the analysis on forever stamps to see if they were a potential investment. It came close, but not quite. My mom heard prices are going up again in 2009 so I'm going ahead and getting all the stamps I'm going to need for wedding invites this year.
I hadn't heard they were being phased out either, and we just stocked up this summer for the exact reasons you mentioned. We got sick of getting caught with our proverbial pants down when it came to those odd items we did need stamps for.
There is no mention of this from USPS directly. I know that they were phasing out over 23,000 stamp vending machines, but I don't know about the forever stamp.
The fact sheet at USPS.com just states that it will cost whatever the current rate of postage is at the time, but that a new stamp will not be issued each time. This forum post states that the stamp will be sold until they decide to stop selling them. Not really an answer, but no evidence to support the theory that what's in stock is all there will ever be.
Can anyone confirm or deny the phasing out of the stamp?
Linsey Knerl
I thought the post office is phasing out the forever stamps. At least that is what I heard from the news. Last year I remember them saying that once the post office sale off their existing inventory, they will not print anymore.
I don't get it -- when something is too good to be true, it is just that -- NOT TRUE. From these ridiculous scams to celebrities being taken in by Madoff, when will people learn that you get what you pay for?
Once people learn these really simple lessons, they won't be taken advantage of quite so easily.
Also, when people start talking about what good christians they are, that should be a dead giveaway to run like hell. (No pun intended.) I think the bible says you'd know 'em by their actions. They shouldn't need to advertise the fact that they are good people.
Hello Nora, this is Andy of HoboTraveler.com Travel Blog, it was nice to discover another Hobo. I have traveled for over 10 years, almost 11, maybe 12, not really positive.
I can live on between 5 to 20 US per day, the 20 is easy, the five takes concentration. I lived in 5 for about four years until the invention of adsense.
I went over you list of expenses and I am not sure how long you have traveled? However, the longer a person travels, then many of the thing on your list will disappear as you see the are irrelevant.
Thanks for the information, the link will eventually work its way to my site. I do wish I could find this on your site.
Thanks from Andy of HoboTraveler.com Travel Blog and HoboHideOut.com where travelers are trading room for a submission and living fre.
This book sounds right up my alley....
"as you get higher you will get smarter"
not at all.. i wasted some of my life of getting up tp 87, now i see that it's total waste of money/time of a stupid nerd game like Runescape. you will change your mind, and think "oh... i've wasted my whole life on this stupid game" when you get older...
Hi there.
My hubby and I backpacked for a year, mostly in Asia, but we also spent 3 weeks in Europe, back in 2002.
It cost us a little less than $20K USD including our return ticket to North America for the entire year.
Wonderful year... The experience was every bit worth it, and it is definitely a great way to cleanse oneself from materialism and consumerism ways, and learn to be frugal in a fun, exciting, and sometimes scary way. ;-)
Great post! Do-able!
I think one of the more important things to consider is that each "giver" is coming from a different perspective, just as each "receiver" is doing the same thing. In any charity, there will be people who think, "I'm going to try and squeeze as much juice out of this as I can," and there will be kids who say, "I don't think it's very possible, but all of my friends have an iPod, and I'd really like one too." There will also be givers who don't feel comfortable spending $100+ on a gift for a stranger when they have limits for their own children family...and there will be givers/groups who have $600 to spend, and can fill those "hope against hopes."
Everyone needs to find a charity that fits in with their own perspective. I'm at my first job after graduation, and this past Christmas, only one of my gifts given was more than $30 (ironically, it was an iPod). My aunt, third-in-command at a local large business with a 6-figure income, routinely gives $400+ worth of gifts to each of her 3 nephews and nieces.
When the Christmas charities came calling, I chose a family who wanted to, in their words, "have a family night." A gift card to Blockbuster, popcorn and some candy, and Clue cost me $35, and will hopefully give them what they wanted.
I saw a news report of a very professional, well spoken "agent" meeting someone at a house (that they had actually cleaned up and changed the locks on)...taking a deposit, letting the people move in...and two months later, the police shows up at their door and kicks them out? Why?.... because it was a bank owned home...that the scammers found was empty...which gave them plenty of time to do their dirty work. They had the person's deposit and two months rent and were gone...
The car on the bottem of the page is a manufacturer test vehicle. It's covered to conceal the looks of the new model before it is released... not to protect from scratches.
My hubby and I are in the same position, we did everything right when we bought our house 3 years ago, and now we can't sell because of all the foreclosures in the area, and we are stuck paying TWO payments every month (one rent, one mortgage)!! Had to move for a job so we rent and we pay the bank. Been that way for TWO G-damn years and I'm sick of it! The system that's helping out those lazy, greedy hoardes is preventing us from moving on. How long are we going to have to be good, responsible Americans and keep making these payments??? Not much longer. We're talking about the "walk", handing the keys back and taking the credit hit. The whole economy is in the tank, so I'm not as worried about my credit (which is over 750) anymore, we just want out!!
It would be great to be able to be seen as intelligent by my husband when it comes to computers. I'm sure he is tired of that "huh????" look I give him as he tries to explain something PC.
Would love the book. Thank You
Hi! If you find out your house is in foreclosure or being taken back by the bank or landlord filing bankruptcy, please move out immediately. Our friend here in town, her daughter lived in house on next block from us & she works at gas station & one of town cops told her it was being filed on for bankruptcy. He told her to find someplace to move & get all her stuff out of the house cause , if they didn't when he put a lock on the door in next few weeks ,they would lose everything they had inside & the bank would throw it all away& there is nothing that will be done about it, You lose everything thing you own if they put the lock on it while you are gone. The landlord never did tell them he was losing the place.This is accurate. I checked it out. Lisa in Ohio