Another idea would be to have the party start later in the evening. Since it is a New Years Eve party, it doesn't need to begin much before 9pm. This way you know your guests will have already eaten dinner, so you only need to serve snack-type foods.
hey just read on some site and same issue...just try it maybe it will help...
Converting the player to Multi-Region:
1. Power on the player with no disk in the drive.
2. Wait for the "No Disc" message to appear.
3. Press Pause on the Remote.
4. Enter 3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9 on the Remote (the word COdE or FF appears on the display).
5. Enter 0 on the Remote (0 = All Regions, 1 = Region 1, 2 = Region 2, etc.).
6. Press Pause on the Remote.
7. Power the player off, wait 30 seconds and then power back on.
NB: If the above code fails to work then once the player has displayed the "No disc" message press Stop before entering the above code.
Checking Firmware version:
1. Press Setup on the Remote.
2. Select TV Aspect.
3. Place the cursor on 16:9 wide.
4. Enter 1, 3, 9, 7, 1, 3, 9 on the Remote.
5. Press Enter on the Remote.
6. Press Setup to clear the information once read.
It's important to know what goal you are trying to accomplish with kids and saving/banking.
From my perspective, if your goal is to teach the habit of saving and handling money, using a bank for a child's savings account probably is not as good as setting up your own "bank" for him or her and paying an interest rate that amounts to something tangible to him or her. For a very young child, it could be paid in actual quarters (say, one quarter per two dollars) a month, on the first of the month, right in their hands, and for older kids who can deal with abstracted numbers, you could use 1% a month, just like one of the posters above suggested.)
Later on, after the habit of saving and the understanding of the concept of interest is ingrained, say in their teens, you can switch back to using real-world rates for them.
As to the "ritual of banking" and getting used to a "real" financial institution,--well, I think they can learn that in their late teens.
Andrew Tobias has a couple really great money teaching games around compound interest that are worth checking out in his book about personal finance--I think it's called The Only Investment Book You'll Ever Need. Also, there's a quite good book called The First National Book of Dad for those who are interested in a longer treatment of how one parent designed a savings/banking system for the purpose of educating his kids about it.
I agree, paper towels can add up in cost and it's easy to go through them quickly, mainly because I (like many people) don't have a designated paper towel clip to hold the lightly-used ones for drying out and future re-use. Instead, they tend to go in the trash as a matter of habit.
After stocking the kitchen and bathrooms with a couple good hand towels over the last year, the only thing I use a paper towel for (almost) these days is drying something off that I need to be as absolutely dry as possible, as fast as possible.
Otherwise, (in the kitchen and the bathroom), I use handtowels. If one gets used for something "yucky", I hang it on a hook to dry and use as a floor towel. If the dish drying towel/counter towel gets too damp, I switch it with a different towel (switch them between each other's towel hooks) so the damp one can dry and the dry one is in position over the sink for dish and counter use.
I usually change the whole set of towels once a week and throw the used ones in with a jeans or dark cotton clothes wash. It works great.
It's funny you mention this, I just created a 2009 want list and I was thinking about how to write about it. I figure I am saving a certain amount of money a year, and there are a few particular big ticket items that I want. So making a list of the things I can afford keeps me focused on what I want instead of buying useless crap when I have some cash on hand.
I am a banker, and I can tell you that these products are NOT well regarded in the industry and are almost to the level of being scams. First of all they are not forthcoming about the costs. They do not include the closing costs associate with the HELOC, which can be substantial (you have to get your home appraised, get title insurance, usually they charge an application fee, and all the other closing costs associated with owning a home). These vary depending on your state of course. And that's on TOP of the $3500 charge which is just for the "software," basically a fee for setting it all up.
In addition, they are basically just moving all your money around from your paycheck to the savings to the line of credit to the mortgage to confuse you into thinking this is something "sophisticated" that you can't do on your own. Even if it worked, it would only work IF you spend much less than you make. It's just like putting all your bills on a credit card and paying it off in full every month. The reality is that most people will end up carrying a balance.
Why do you think a bank would help you do this if it really simply helped you pay off your mortgage faster?? They are getting thousands of dollars in fees from you to set this "program" up plus interest on the line of credit balances plus interest on your mortgage. It's also a slick way to get you to move ALL your business to them - the mortgage, savings, lines of credit, checking, etc.
In addition there is all the downside to locking this kind of thing in. What if you don't WANT to use every dollar of discretionary income to pay down your mortgage in one, three, or 10 years? What if something happens down the line or you realize you're not getting ahead because it's harder to track your money when it's on a line of credit and the balance is only growing?
It seems that very few folks really understand these programs, or can figure out an alternative method, so here's my uber-simple idea.
1. Use the $3,500 fee to buy a one year CD. Each year, roll the principle into a new CD and use the interest to pay down the principal on your mortgage.
2. Use a regular money market account, or high yield savings account with a linked checking account for regular day to day income and expenses. Use the interest to pay down the principal on your mortgage.
Lists are a great idea. Just brainstorming and organizing a list makes you think about what you really want and provides a written reminder of your spending priorities. For me personally, I guess the trick would be not misplacing or forgetting where I put the list.
I currently work at a video game store. I'm really just killing time while I go through college since this is an easy job, but the customers are absolutely unbelievable sometimes. We have our extremely polite and nice regulars, which really help with stress, but we have some people that just need to...well, be hit with something heavy and hard.
Moms have blamed ME for their crying children, old people constantly talk down to me and I actually had an old guy yell in my face for no reason. Rednecks and other trash are always annoying and I've actually had a guy run out of the store (holding his kid) right after the kid pooped his pants on our new rug. (He got in his car and sped off before we could get out there.)
I actually banned a guy from the store and threatened to call the cops today since he forced his way BEHIND our counter and into our employee restroom after I, along with other co-workers, clearly said, "No. We cannot let you use our restroom as the back room it is in has our safe and other documents."
This is just a small dose of what I've dealt with after working two years in a small, local video game store. People are great, right?
I think I've heard the car mechanic analogy from about 6 realtors already...please...
Plain and simple, there are set "contract of sale" forms that need to be filled out, anyone that can read and has some brains can fill them out (they are different for every county).
Agents attempt to hide these forms from the public, but with some good internet research you can find them.
Put in there that you want 3% towards closing costs and that you also want the seller's agent's commission to be no more than 3%. Guess what, you just gave yourself the 3% you would have been giving your Buyers Agent (you got your closing costs paid for).
In this market, the seller's agent wants to (and probably desperately needs to) make the sale, so even though they aren't a dual agent, they are going to work hard to make it work.
Hire a real estate lawyer if you are really worried about the paperwork, they cost $500. Your broker and title company will take care of the rest.
The internet has ruined the Buyer's agent, they will be extinct in 5 years. You can find listings yourself, set up appointments yourself, and fill out the forms yourself. Glorified middlemen.
Can I see your sources for this please? I'm trying to find the right kind of milk, and I want to support organics but I don't have access to any local family dairy farms most of the year, so storebought organic is the best I can do but I'd like to investigate the issue as well.
“…they are produced without the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones or dangerous pesticides."
Hm... it doesn't say "hormone free" though, right? It says no "added growth hormones" which means that cows weren't given additional steriods, I'm assuming. I think they're refering to what the cows are treated with, not the milk itself. It's a difficult statement to pick apart through since obviously it hasn't provided every detail.
The claim about pesticides also can't apply to milk, obviously. But what I assume they're referring to is the grass and grain that is consumed by the cattle. Most of the damage done to the environment by the farming industry isn't just by the fossil fuels used or from the actual animals, but from the growing of crops with huge amounts of pesticides running off into the water. Again, the statement is brief and obscure, but I highly doubt they intended to make anyone believe that "no pesticides" applies to the milk itself.
“We allow our cows to make milk according to their natural cycle and keep them in good health by giving them certified organic feed, fresh air and access to pasture.”
I think that's another claim we can't make judgements about just by reading the label. However, most "non-organic" factory-farmed animals never even get fresh air. It's better to support animals who have "access" to a pasture, even if it's limited, than ones that never see a field in their lives, because I know there are definitely farms out there that keep animals in cages for the entirety of their lives.
Every once in a while I'll get a carton of Horizon, and sometimes my family won't even drink it because they think it "tastes like grass." It's easy for me to believe just from the taste that the cows have a better diet than generic store-brand milk, and I prefer Horizon over "regular" milk. Nature's Promise doesn't taste like genuine organic milk to me, honestly.
A huge difference between Horizon and generic milk that I have noticed is that organic milk literally lasts for a month and a half, whereas generic expires in a week. This has something to say about the distance organic milk is shippped, but I also discovered that UHT pasteurization is required for organic milk because no antibiotics are used, which is apparently much more expensive than antibiotics, which is why generic milk can manage to be so cheap. So I think there is definitely a difference between the "regular" product and the organic one, in that sense.
So the taste and the "shelf life" or the Horizon product definitely sets it apart from a generic product, I think. It it still safe to say that it's a rip-off if it's more than just the label telling us this milk is different?
This would make sense in a stable economy. During DEFLATION, it's better to stretch your mortgage out as far as possible, using the money in a wiser way.
Yes, teachers are grossly overpaid. Their starting salaries here are more than 10% above the average wage-earner -- and that's for a 9-month job. Don't group them with firemen and policemen who put their lives on the line.
btw, we are entering DEFLATION rather than inflation for 2009. Prices will plummet. Sell now, buy in 6 months.
Another way to make the party special is to have activities - perhaps party games - if only charades!
Fortune telling activities are fun, too - On the Millenium we did the Scandinavian ritual of melting little bits of lead in a spoon and then putting it in cold water and reading the shape of it. (My sister brought a kit from Germany - but if you are careful, you could - say, melt little lead fishing weights???)
And if your budget is limited - have a "Champagne Royale" or a champagne reception - and provide the munchies, champagne, some tea or coffee and let anything else be BYOB! So the tequila drinkers get their own & take it home afterwards, too. That's a classy version of the student BYOB, I think...
In the winter, little bits of extra food can always be added to your homemade soup. Boil up your leftover chicken/turney bones (Hopefully with some bits of meat on them) add some apple cider vinegar and salt to make stock and then add all the bits you have left over - and add potatoes and onions and carrots - voila! a hearty soup. (Just strain for any bones that survive.)
You can also have a little handtowel in the kitchen for drying everyone's hands instead of using paper. And plain newspaper is great for sopping up spills instead of using papertowel - But put a layer of paper towel underneath a very light surface, as the newsprint will leave an impression on a light surface....Great for spills on dark carpets!
There are differing quality of sleep as well. For example, ever woke up after 10+ hours of sleep and still felt tired? Or slept for only 6 hours and woke up extremely refreshed?
People shouldn't only look at quantity but also quality of their sleep.
Yes, I have a Rolls Royce Phantom, and while I was at Walmart, some inconsiderate and probably jealous person--the same as hit your car, perhaps?--smashed into my Rolls with a cart. I thought about spending some of my squillion dollars on a proper repair, but would rather risk my Phantom's appearance and je ne sais quoi by having one of the servants attempt a repair that I found whilst browsing here at the frugality Web site. Cheerio!
I never really thought about how much I spent on paper towels! Thanks for reminding me. It looks like I'll be incorporating this idea into my money-saving ventures!
This brings to mind the "buy gold" idea. When times are really really hard, will the grocery store take gold? Will the electric company let me pay my bill with gold? No? (I'm being facetious.) So I must take it to a gold buyer who will give me half of what I paid for it, (in CASH?) so I can go out and buy something to feed my family. Who makes out on that deal? Huh?
I am guessing most people commenting here want to hide away a few hundred dollars for an emergency. While cash may be devalued also, I don't see the answer as gold.
Gold is for the wealthy to buy as an investment so as to come out of the depression still wealthy. Or wealthIER is the point, I'm sure. What is he keeping around to buy groceries and pay utilities?
I have a book safe right now. But hey, I think taped to the bottom of the cat litter box is a great idea!
In the past, if there were half-servings of dinner items left over, I might have thrown it out. Now I buy a few of those Ziploc containers with multiple compartments and put the leftovers in them. They go with me the next day as lunch. It's amazing how all those 1/2 servings become one good meal.
Another idea would be to have the party start later in the evening. Since it is a New Years Eve party, it doesn't need to begin much before 9pm. This way you know your guests will have already eaten dinner, so you only need to serve snack-type foods.
hey just read on some site and same issue...just try it maybe it will help...
Converting the player to Multi-Region:
1. Power on the player with no disk in the drive.
2. Wait for the "No Disc" message to appear.
3. Press Pause on the Remote.
4. Enter 3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9 on the Remote (the word COdE or FF appears on the display).
5. Enter 0 on the Remote (0 = All Regions, 1 = Region 1, 2 = Region 2, etc.).
6. Press Pause on the Remote.
7. Power the player off, wait 30 seconds and then power back on.
NB: If the above code fails to work then once the player has displayed the "No disc" message press Stop before entering the above code.
Checking Firmware version:
1. Press Setup on the Remote.
2. Select TV Aspect.
3. Place the cursor on 16:9 wide.
4. Enter 1, 3, 9, 7, 1, 3, 9 on the Remote.
5. Press Enter on the Remote.
6. Press Setup to clear the information once read.
Don't forget to get a gift certificate from restaurant.com.
It's important to know what goal you are trying to accomplish with kids and saving/banking.
From my perspective, if your goal is to teach the habit of saving and handling money, using a bank for a child's savings account probably is not as good as setting up your own "bank" for him or her and paying an interest rate that amounts to something tangible to him or her. For a very young child, it could be paid in actual quarters (say, one quarter per two dollars) a month, on the first of the month, right in their hands, and for older kids who can deal with abstracted numbers, you could use 1% a month, just like one of the posters above suggested.)
Later on, after the habit of saving and the understanding of the concept of interest is ingrained, say in their teens, you can switch back to using real-world rates for them.
As to the "ritual of banking" and getting used to a "real" financial institution,--well, I think they can learn that in their late teens.
Andrew Tobias has a couple really great money teaching games around compound interest that are worth checking out in his book about personal finance--I think it's called The Only Investment Book You'll Ever Need. Also, there's a quite good book called The First National Book of Dad for those who are interested in a longer treatment of how one parent designed a savings/banking system for the purpose of educating his kids about it.
I agree, paper towels can add up in cost and it's easy to go through them quickly, mainly because I (like many people) don't have a designated paper towel clip to hold the lightly-used ones for drying out and future re-use. Instead, they tend to go in the trash as a matter of habit.
After stocking the kitchen and bathrooms with a couple good hand towels over the last year, the only thing I use a paper towel for (almost) these days is drying something off that I need to be as absolutely dry as possible, as fast as possible.
Otherwise, (in the kitchen and the bathroom), I use handtowels. If one gets used for something "yucky", I hang it on a hook to dry and use as a floor towel. If the dish drying towel/counter towel gets too damp, I switch it with a different towel (switch them between each other's towel hooks) so the damp one can dry and the dry one is in position over the sink for dish and counter use.
I usually change the whole set of towels once a week and throw the used ones in with a jeans or dark cotton clothes wash. It works great.
Alfalfa looks a lot like clover, and is a type of legume. I've only used it as horse feed, but I imagine it is edible. It has a wonderful fragrance.
It's funny you mention this, I just created a 2009 want list and I was thinking about how to write about it. I figure I am saving a certain amount of money a year, and there are a few particular big ticket items that I want. So making a list of the things I can afford keeps me focused on what I want instead of buying useless crap when I have some cash on hand.
AOL will be permanently taking down the XDRIVE site on January 19th, 2009.
I am a banker, and I can tell you that these products are NOT well regarded in the industry and are almost to the level of being scams. First of all they are not forthcoming about the costs. They do not include the closing costs associate with the HELOC, which can be substantial (you have to get your home appraised, get title insurance, usually they charge an application fee, and all the other closing costs associated with owning a home). These vary depending on your state of course. And that's on TOP of the $3500 charge which is just for the "software," basically a fee for setting it all up.
In addition, they are basically just moving all your money around from your paycheck to the savings to the line of credit to the mortgage to confuse you into thinking this is something "sophisticated" that you can't do on your own. Even if it worked, it would only work IF you spend much less than you make. It's just like putting all your bills on a credit card and paying it off in full every month. The reality is that most people will end up carrying a balance.
Why do you think a bank would help you do this if it really simply helped you pay off your mortgage faster?? They are getting thousands of dollars in fees from you to set this "program" up plus interest on the line of credit balances plus interest on your mortgage. It's also a slick way to get you to move ALL your business to them - the mortgage, savings, lines of credit, checking, etc.
In addition there is all the downside to locking this kind of thing in. What if you don't WANT to use every dollar of discretionary income to pay down your mortgage in one, three, or 10 years? What if something happens down the line or you realize you're not getting ahead because it's harder to track your money when it's on a line of credit and the balance is only growing?
It seems that very few folks really understand these programs, or can figure out an alternative method, so here's my uber-simple idea.
1. Use the $3,500 fee to buy a one year CD. Each year, roll the principle into a new CD and use the interest to pay down the principal on your mortgage.
2. Use a regular money market account, or high yield savings account with a linked checking account for regular day to day income and expenses. Use the interest to pay down the principal on your mortgage.
Lists are a great idea. Just brainstorming and organizing a list makes you think about what you really want and provides a written reminder of your spending priorities. For me personally, I guess the trick would be not misplacing or forgetting where I put the list.
I currently work at a video game store. I'm really just killing time while I go through college since this is an easy job, but the customers are absolutely unbelievable sometimes. We have our extremely polite and nice regulars, which really help with stress, but we have some people that just need to...well, be hit with something heavy and hard.
Moms have blamed ME for their crying children, old people constantly talk down to me and I actually had an old guy yell in my face for no reason. Rednecks and other trash are always annoying and I've actually had a guy run out of the store (holding his kid) right after the kid pooped his pants on our new rug. (He got in his car and sped off before we could get out there.)
I actually banned a guy from the store and threatened to call the cops today since he forced his way BEHIND our counter and into our employee restroom after I, along with other co-workers, clearly said, "No. We cannot let you use our restroom as the back room it is in has our safe and other documents."
This is just a small dose of what I've dealt with after working two years in a small, local video game store. People are great, right?
I think I've heard the car mechanic analogy from about 6 realtors already...please...
Plain and simple, there are set "contract of sale" forms that need to be filled out, anyone that can read and has some brains can fill them out (they are different for every county).
Agents attempt to hide these forms from the public, but with some good internet research you can find them.
Put in there that you want 3% towards closing costs and that you also want the seller's agent's commission to be no more than 3%. Guess what, you just gave yourself the 3% you would have been giving your Buyers Agent (you got your closing costs paid for).
In this market, the seller's agent wants to (and probably desperately needs to) make the sale, so even though they aren't a dual agent, they are going to work hard to make it work.
Hire a real estate lawyer if you are really worried about the paperwork, they cost $500. Your broker and title company will take care of the rest.
The internet has ruined the Buyer's agent, they will be extinct in 5 years. You can find listings yourself, set up appointments yourself, and fill out the forms yourself. Glorified middlemen.
Can I see your sources for this please? I'm trying to find the right kind of milk, and I want to support organics but I don't have access to any local family dairy farms most of the year, so storebought organic is the best I can do but I'd like to investigate the issue as well.
“…they are produced without the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones or dangerous pesticides."
Hm... it doesn't say "hormone free" though, right? It says no "added growth hormones" which means that cows weren't given additional steriods, I'm assuming. I think they're refering to what the cows are treated with, not the milk itself. It's a difficult statement to pick apart through since obviously it hasn't provided every detail.
The claim about pesticides also can't apply to milk, obviously. But what I assume they're referring to is the grass and grain that is consumed by the cattle. Most of the damage done to the environment by the farming industry isn't just by the fossil fuels used or from the actual animals, but from the growing of crops with huge amounts of pesticides running off into the water. Again, the statement is brief and obscure, but I highly doubt they intended to make anyone believe that "no pesticides" applies to the milk itself.
“We allow our cows to make milk according to their natural cycle and keep them in good health by giving them certified organic feed, fresh air and access to pasture.”
I think that's another claim we can't make judgements about just by reading the label. However, most "non-organic" factory-farmed animals never even get fresh air. It's better to support animals who have "access" to a pasture, even if it's limited, than ones that never see a field in their lives, because I know there are definitely farms out there that keep animals in cages for the entirety of their lives.
Every once in a while I'll get a carton of Horizon, and sometimes my family won't even drink it because they think it "tastes like grass." It's easy for me to believe just from the taste that the cows have a better diet than generic store-brand milk, and I prefer Horizon over "regular" milk. Nature's Promise doesn't taste like genuine organic milk to me, honestly.
A huge difference between Horizon and generic milk that I have noticed is that organic milk literally lasts for a month and a half, whereas generic expires in a week. This has something to say about the distance organic milk is shippped, but I also discovered that UHT pasteurization is required for organic milk because no antibiotics are used, which is apparently much more expensive than antibiotics, which is why generic milk can manage to be so cheap. So I think there is definitely a difference between the "regular" product and the organic one, in that sense.
So the taste and the "shelf life" or the Horizon product definitely sets it apart from a generic product, I think. It it still safe to say that it's a rip-off if it's more than just the label telling us this milk is different?
Philip, I think that's a great idea. Personally, I use SmartyPig.com to save for items on my "wants list."
Chris Cairns
Smartlife: The Life Automation Guide
This would make sense in a stable economy. During DEFLATION, it's better to stretch your mortgage out as far as possible, using the money in a wiser way.
Yes, teachers are grossly overpaid. Their starting salaries here are more than 10% above the average wage-earner -- and that's for a 9-month job. Don't group them with firemen and policemen who put their lives on the line.
btw, we are entering DEFLATION rather than inflation for 2009. Prices will plummet. Sell now, buy in 6 months.
Another way to make the party special is to have activities - perhaps party games - if only charades!
Fortune telling activities are fun, too - On the Millenium we did the Scandinavian ritual of melting little bits of lead in a spoon and then putting it in cold water and reading the shape of it. (My sister brought a kit from Germany - but if you are careful, you could - say, melt little lead fishing weights???)
And if your budget is limited - have a "Champagne Royale" or a champagne reception - and provide the munchies, champagne, some tea or coffee and let anything else be BYOB! So the tequila drinkers get their own & take it home afterwards, too. That's a classy version of the student BYOB, I think...
In the winter, little bits of extra food can always be added to your homemade soup. Boil up your leftover chicken/turney bones (Hopefully with some bits of meat on them) add some apple cider vinegar and salt to make stock and then add all the bits you have left over - and add potatoes and onions and carrots - voila! a hearty soup. (Just strain for any bones that survive.)
You can also have a little handtowel in the kitchen for drying everyone's hands instead of using paper. And plain newspaper is great for sopping up spills instead of using papertowel - But put a layer of paper towel underneath a very light surface, as the newsprint will leave an impression on a light surface....Great for spills on dark carpets!
There are differing quality of sleep as well. For example, ever woke up after 10+ hours of sleep and still felt tired? Or slept for only 6 hours and woke up extremely refreshed?
People shouldn't only look at quantity but also quality of their sleep.
-Oleg
Sleep Tips
Yes, I have a Rolls Royce Phantom, and while I was at Walmart, some inconsiderate and probably jealous person--the same as hit your car, perhaps?--smashed into my Rolls with a cart. I thought about spending some of my squillion dollars on a proper repair, but would rather risk my Phantom's appearance and je ne sais quoi by having one of the servants attempt a repair that I found whilst browsing here at the frugality Web site. Cheerio!
I never really thought about how much I spent on paper towels! Thanks for reminding me. It looks like I'll be incorporating this idea into my money-saving ventures!
This brings to mind the "buy gold" idea. When times are really really hard, will the grocery store take gold? Will the electric company let me pay my bill with gold? No? (I'm being facetious.) So I must take it to a gold buyer who will give me half of what I paid for it, (in CASH?) so I can go out and buy something to feed my family. Who makes out on that deal? Huh?
I am guessing most people commenting here want to hide away a few hundred dollars for an emergency. While cash may be devalued also, I don't see the answer as gold.
Gold is for the wealthy to buy as an investment so as to come out of the depression still wealthy. Or wealthIER is the point, I'm sure. What is he keeping around to buy groceries and pay utilities?
I have a book safe right now. But hey, I think taped to the bottom of the cat litter box is a great idea!
In the past, if there were half-servings of dinner items left over, I might have thrown it out. Now I buy a few of those Ziploc containers with multiple compartments and put the leftovers in them. They go with me the next day as lunch. It's amazing how all those 1/2 servings become one good meal.