This is a great idea. Any more ideas on how to get money for a business?
I run an online blog and don't have much money to startup. I also don't have many friends to liase with like this
There are some things, like the credit card games, that I won't play, because there is inherent risks that I am not willing to take, as some folks have outlined above.
On the other hand, some things like clipping coupons for example, are simple ways to save a few dollars here and there, and it's relatively harmless, unless you obsess about it. Which I used to. In the end it's not worth the time if it takes up too much of it. Everything in moderation, I guess.
Nothing with a "gotcha" attached is really free. I have had salespeople get really indignant because I turned down there free stuff because it had some clause in it. I just don't need another thing to remember or floating around in our housekeeping system.
For the most part, I also fail to see why people would stand in line for hours for this. But as extreme as they are, some of your views are just as extreme, in the opposite direction.
That second iphone video is hilarious though. Maybe you should try and snatch an old iPhone for $17?
I think you've hit the nail on the head. There's a lot of overlap between simplicity and tightwaddery--because the simple choice often saves money. (The overlap gets bigger when you take the future into account--a long-lasting item may cost more, but save money and time in the long run.)
But the overlap is definitely not total. This is a perfect example of an instance where the simple choice is not the most lucrative.
Here I definitely come down on the side of simplicity.
"selfish, materialistic, greedy, and morally corrupt"
That's what poster #43 thinks I am for getting an iPhone. Oh, my gosh. What a grotesque overreaction! I drive a 10-year old car with almost 150,000 miles on it and don't plan to replace it until it keels over and dies. My computer is so old it will barely run iTunes to sync the phone to. I recycle everything I can. I ride my bike to work whenever possible (I work 2 jobs and sometimes the schedule doesn't allow). I don't have cable. I'm 51 years old and this is the first time I've ever paid for a phone, having always previously gotten a free one with service plan extensions (Actually, I don't remember 25 years ago very well. I may have paid for the first one if they weren't giving them out free back in the early days.). Etc.
I do NOT ask anyone to congratulate me for all that, and don't think I deserve congratulations. It's just my choice, and I don't even really think about it.
I'd just suggest that all those people out there talking about how ridiculous it is for some of us to get iPhones -- even standing in line for one -- are just as much in need of "lives" as new iPhone users. Sitting around believing yourselves morally superior because you've made different choices about gadgets is a waste of energy and does not, in fact, make you any less "morally corrupt" than me. It is not proof that you are any less selfish, materialistic or greedy than me. Don't judge me and I won't speculate about what spiritual need is filled in your life by setting yourself up on a pedestal of moral rectitude because you made the choice not to get an iPhone.
I think this is one of the differences between people who are trying to be frugal to make their lives "simpler" and those who are trying to save money, not that these two are incompatible, of course. There are things that I am torn about because of these two philosophies, and I don't think either side is "bad" for doing what they're doing. Do I organize things that might be useful later, or declutter them because I'm not using them? Do I decide I don't need a bunch of toiletry items, or do I order free samples online and "not worry" about the packaging? Do I use coupons for Walgreens and JoAnn's, or do I decide it's not worth waiting to shop until I'm in the "city"? You can do credit card arbitrage and so forth, but is it how everyone wants to live?
I'm big on applying attention in the moment. Buying things in bulk requires that you have applied enough attention to know that you're getting a good deal, but it doesn't commit your attention for the future. (In fact, arguably it frees up your future attention, because managing your shopping gets easier when you've got stockpiles of staples on hand all the time.)
I'm much happier applying my present attention for future gain--creating something of value that I hope to sell, for example--than I am accepting present gain for a promise of my future attention.
For most things--stuff, money--I'm pretty confident in my present estimate of its future value, so I'm willing to make commitments based on that.
I guess what it comes down to is that I lack confidence in my present estimate of the value of my future attention. More than a few times, I've committed my future attention and then bitterly resented having to provide it at the moment it was required, because circumstances had changed. (And, sometimes, I failed to provide my attention at the crucial moment, at considerable cost.)
Perhaps, some publications are better than others. But, why should the taxpayer foot the bill for information that is readily available on the internet or the library?
So lets see here what weve got:
the things you own, end up owning you.
This makes scene in a basic level. We see something that complements our life and "want" it. If we can buy it right away, our "quality of life" goes up. But there is fear that this can all be taken away at a moments notice.
Fear, in its true form is a good thing. If you are looking at debt (for whatever the amount of money) you have an obligation to pay it off with your own labor. This is not slavery per-say just one step ahead of that. The fear is that the house will loose value, and your years of labor will be for nothing. This is a good "fear" to have. There is risk in anything. But there is a difference in "fear" and "paranoid". Fear can tell you if something is wrong or has a risk that can go bad. Paranoid can become self destructive.
You may "fear that your house will go under. You can be paraniod that your house will be hit by an meteor.
Anyways just my perspective. Take it or leave it:)
Sorry, but this blog does not make sense to me. You usually advise on doing things like buying things in bulk, saving money on gas by limiting the amount of driving that you do. All your advise require discipline and commitment. I am not sure why using free money would be any different.
Ten minutes is really not a lot of time to use to earn interest using someone else's money. It surely beats getting a second job (and probably using a car doing so) to make the same amount of money. It's also a great reward for saving.
I am starting my senior year of college this fall and I am scared of going into the job market next spring. I am worried about not being able to find a job despite all my internships/extracurriculars/experience. All I can hope is that what I have is enough to get a career I truly enjoy and with potential to move up. But I guess that is what everyone is hoping for.
I didn't know about the cash advance scheme....sounds interesting, though!
I do take advantage of lots of free or trial period offers, however.
But I write down ALL info, and I put it on my calendar, and make sure to cancel any trial periods a WEEK before the finish date.
I have never gotten messed up, or ended up paying. I'm very careful.
Some things I even forget I'm doing a trial period, until one day, I flip my calendar to the new week, and there, stuck on the page for one day, is all the info, including phone numbers to call, to cancel my trial.
I've gotten free meals and gift certificates, etc...from credit card reward programs. It's fun, if you're careful.
And sometimes, when I call to cancel, they give me another few months to keep trying it. So I change the dates on the sticky note, and slap them onto that future calendar day.
Wow...if I could make $2000, that would pay for our whole week vacation!
I was reading some comments above and did I understand it correctly that there is 33% tax on whole life?
Also, I asked on another forum about low cost life insurance quotes and was told that for $400 a year I can get $500k term policy for 20 years. That seems incredibly cheap. Thoughts?
Kelja, I'm afraid I have to disagree with you — while a lot of government publications have an element of bias, as a rule they're fairly up to date. I've yet to find an address in the Consumer Action Handbook that is out of date, for example.
Liquid carbon dioxide forms only at pressures above 5.1 atm; the triple point of carbon dioxide is about 518 kPa at −56.6 °C (See phase diagram, above). The critical point is 7.38 MPa at 31.1 °C.[5]
I couldn't agree more with this response. I'm not going to leave a negative comment, but just because someone wants an iphone doesn't mean their lives are empty. I've never had a nice phone. I have a piece of junk samsung that goes with my prepaid virgin plan. And for my birthday, my husband bought me an iphone. I guess my life is empty too, because I love the iphone!
I agree with you that it will take your attention, probably every day. But you are over estimate the value of your attention. If you don't spend 10 minutes a day thinking about your credit card scheme, you will spend it thinking about boobies. Or that you really don't like that tree from the neighbors that takes away the sun from your backyard.
Having an iPhone significantly improves my quality of life for one main reason: I can easily get real-time bus arrival information with it.
As a frequent user of public transit in San Francisco, knowing what my various bus options are at any given time when out and about is a huge deal, especially considering how unreliable MUNI is. (ie the posted schedules are meaningless) Knowing what kind of wait times you might be looking at can help you use your time much more efficiently or draw up a plan B if necessary.
My original iphone was stolen, so after several months without being able to check the bus arrival information away from my computer, I was happy to wait in line for one to get it ASAP.
I've waited in lines overnight for tickets to various things, and it's all the same.... you meet the people in line, share a common experience, and have a good time.
I went to the iPhone 3G launch in Providence, RI. Mind you, being RI, it was probably smaller than alot of other metropolitan launches. I only stood in line for about 2 hours, and the Apple employees gave us water bottles and answered questions while we were waiting in line.
Does my iPhone fill a void? Maybe. I had previously had the same Razr v3m for a few years, and the battery barely charged. Serendipitously, my Verizon contract had expired on the 6th of July, erego I avoided an ETF (aside from paying for the month of July, which meh).
You know what alot of us techies were doing in line? Working. I had my laptop on me and I was telecommuting to work the entire time. Just because we stand in line doesn't mean we're "wasting" our time, thats the beauty of the technology.
Lines really aren't a complete waste of time. I've stood in line for midnight releases at gamestop, and left not only with the game but with contact information of some new friends. I may be alone in this, but I still like REAL LIFE social networking, and in a line for something like a phone or a game you obviously share common interests with the people around you.
So, I do agree, it is only a phone. Would I camp overnight for it? No. But waiting in a line for a few hours isn't as crazy or worthless as some people make it out to be.
I agree w/Paul Michael, the issue isn't whether it's worth standing in line for or not, since there are obviously two camps here: those of us who would stand in line for recreational things, be it experiences, gadgets or books, and those of us who wouldn't for any reason unless it was a necessity such as food.
The issue is why not wait until you don't have to stand in line for it? Why the big rush to be the first on the block to own it? Who are we competing with? Why are we compelled to have the bragging rights of first ownership? What difference does it really make? That's the part I don't get.
This is a great idea. Any more ideas on how to get money for a business?
I run an online blog and don't have much money to startup. I also don't have many friends to liase with like this
This is a cool look on taking a holiday. I never thought a holiday could MAKE you money. Cool tips
There are some things, like the credit card games, that I won't play, because there is inherent risks that I am not willing to take, as some folks have outlined above.
On the other hand, some things like clipping coupons for example, are simple ways to save a few dollars here and there, and it's relatively harmless, unless you obsess about it. Which I used to. In the end it's not worth the time if it takes up too much of it. Everything in moderation, I guess.
Could be just the games that fail. For instance, Runescape. That game fails hard. =\
Nothing with a "gotcha" attached is really free. I have had salespeople get really indignant because I turned down there free stuff because it had some clause in it. I just don't need another thing to remember or floating around in our housekeeping system.
>>My time and attention are very precious to me. If I'm going to spend them, it's going to be on something that earns more than just money.
Hooray to that! There's a bit of wisdom I can take to the bank.
For the most part, I also fail to see why people would stand in line for hours for this. But as extreme as they are, some of your views are just as extreme, in the opposite direction.
That second iphone video is hilarious though. Maybe you should try and snatch an old iPhone for $17?
This is beautiful, it made me cry.
@Michelle:
I think you've hit the nail on the head. There's a lot of overlap between simplicity and tightwaddery--because the simple choice often saves money. (The overlap gets bigger when you take the future into account--a long-lasting item may cost more, but save money and time in the long run.)
But the overlap is definitely not total. This is a perfect example of an instance where the simple choice is not the most lucrative.
Here I definitely come down on the side of simplicity.
"selfish, materialistic, greedy, and morally corrupt"
That's what poster #43 thinks I am for getting an iPhone. Oh, my gosh. What a grotesque overreaction! I drive a 10-year old car with almost 150,000 miles on it and don't plan to replace it until it keels over and dies. My computer is so old it will barely run iTunes to sync the phone to. I recycle everything I can. I ride my bike to work whenever possible (I work 2 jobs and sometimes the schedule doesn't allow). I don't have cable. I'm 51 years old and this is the first time I've ever paid for a phone, having always previously gotten a free one with service plan extensions (Actually, I don't remember 25 years ago very well. I may have paid for the first one if they weren't giving them out free back in the early days.). Etc.
I do NOT ask anyone to congratulate me for all that, and don't think I deserve congratulations. It's just my choice, and I don't even really think about it.
I'd just suggest that all those people out there talking about how ridiculous it is for some of us to get iPhones -- even standing in line for one -- are just as much in need of "lives" as new iPhone users. Sitting around believing yourselves morally superior because you've made different choices about gadgets is a waste of energy and does not, in fact, make you any less "morally corrupt" than me. It is not proof that you are any less selfish, materialistic or greedy than me. Don't judge me and I won't speculate about what spiritual need is filled in your life by setting yourself up on a pedestal of moral rectitude because you made the choice not to get an iPhone.
I think this is one of the differences between people who are trying to be frugal to make their lives "simpler" and those who are trying to save money, not that these two are incompatible, of course. There are things that I am torn about because of these two philosophies, and I don't think either side is "bad" for doing what they're doing. Do I organize things that might be useful later, or declutter them because I'm not using them? Do I decide I don't need a bunch of toiletry items, or do I order free samples online and "not worry" about the packaging? Do I use coupons for Walgreens and JoAnn's, or do I decide it's not worth waiting to shop until I'm in the "city"? You can do credit card arbitrage and so forth, but is it how everyone wants to live?
I'm big on applying attention in the moment. Buying things in bulk requires that you have applied enough attention to know that you're getting a good deal, but it doesn't commit your attention for the future. (In fact, arguably it frees up your future attention, because managing your shopping gets easier when you've got stockpiles of staples on hand all the time.)
I'm much happier applying my present attention for future gain--creating something of value that I hope to sell, for example--than I am accepting present gain for a promise of my future attention.
For most things--stuff, money--I'm pretty confident in my present estimate of its future value, so I'm willing to make commitments based on that.
I guess what it comes down to is that I lack confidence in my present estimate of the value of my future attention. More than a few times, I've committed my future attention and then bitterly resented having to provide it at the moment it was required, because circumstances had changed. (And, sometimes, I failed to provide my attention at the crucial moment, at considerable cost.)
Perhaps, some publications are better than others. But, why should the taxpayer foot the bill for information that is readily available on the internet or the library?
So lets see here what weve got:
the things you own, end up owning you.
This makes scene in a basic level. We see something that complements our life and "want" it. If we can buy it right away, our "quality of life" goes up. But there is fear that this can all be taken away at a moments notice.
Fear, in its true form is a good thing. If you are looking at debt (for whatever the amount of money) you have an obligation to pay it off with your own labor. This is not slavery per-say just one step ahead of that. The fear is that the house will loose value, and your years of labor will be for nothing. This is a good "fear" to have. There is risk in anything. But there is a difference in "fear" and "paranoid". Fear can tell you if something is wrong or has a risk that can go bad. Paranoid can become self destructive.
You may "fear that your house will go under. You can be paraniod that your house will be hit by an meteor.
Anyways just my perspective. Take it or leave it:)
Sorry, but this blog does not make sense to me. You usually advise on doing things like buying things in bulk, saving money on gas by limiting the amount of driving that you do. All your advise require discipline and commitment. I am not sure why using free money would be any different.
Ten minutes is really not a lot of time to use to earn interest using someone else's money. It surely beats getting a second job (and probably using a car doing so) to make the same amount of money. It's also a great reward for saving.
I am starting my senior year of college this fall and I am scared of going into the job market next spring. I am worried about not being able to find a job despite all my internships/extracurriculars/experience. All I can hope is that what I have is enough to get a career I truly enjoy and with potential to move up. But I guess that is what everyone is hoping for.
I didn't know about the cash advance scheme....sounds interesting, though!
I do take advantage of lots of free or trial period offers, however.
But I write down ALL info, and I put it on my calendar, and make sure to cancel any trial periods a WEEK before the finish date.
I have never gotten messed up, or ended up paying. I'm very careful.
Some things I even forget I'm doing a trial period, until one day, I flip my calendar to the new week, and there, stuck on the page for one day, is all the info, including phone numbers to call, to cancel my trial.
I've gotten free meals and gift certificates, etc...from credit card reward programs. It's fun, if you're careful.
And sometimes, when I call to cancel, they give me another few months to keep trying it. So I change the dates on the sticky note, and slap them onto that future calendar day.
Wow...if I could make $2000, that would pay for our whole week vacation!
Muah a haha ha h ah ah ah ahaaaa!
I was reading some comments above and did I understand it correctly that there is 33% tax on whole life?
Also, I asked on another forum about low cost life insurance quotes and was told that for $400 a year I can get $500k term policy for 20 years. That seems incredibly cheap. Thoughts?
Kelja, I'm afraid I have to disagree with you — while a lot of government publications have an element of bias, as a rule they're fairly up to date. I've yet to find an address in the Consumer Action Handbook that is out of date, for example.
from the wikipedia page...
Liquid carbon dioxide forms only at pressures above 5.1 atm; the triple point of carbon dioxide is about 518 kPa at −56.6 °C (See phase diagram, above). The critical point is 7.38 MPa at 31.1 °C.[5]
I couldn't agree more with this response. I'm not going to leave a negative comment, but just because someone wants an iphone doesn't mean their lives are empty. I've never had a nice phone. I have a piece of junk samsung that goes with my prepaid virgin plan. And for my birthday, my husband bought me an iphone. I guess my life is empty too, because I love the iphone!
I agree with you that it will take your attention, probably every day. But you are over estimate the value of your attention. If you don't spend 10 minutes a day thinking about your credit card scheme, you will spend it thinking about boobies. Or that you really don't like that tree from the neighbors that takes away the sun from your backyard.
Having an iPhone significantly improves my quality of life for one main reason: I can easily get real-time bus arrival information with it.
As a frequent user of public transit in San Francisco, knowing what my various bus options are at any given time when out and about is a huge deal, especially considering how unreliable MUNI is. (ie the posted schedules are meaningless) Knowing what kind of wait times you might be looking at can help you use your time much more efficiently or draw up a plan B if necessary.
My original iphone was stolen, so after several months without being able to check the bus arrival information away from my computer, I was happy to wait in line for one to get it ASAP.
I've waited in lines overnight for tickets to various things, and it's all the same.... you meet the people in line, share a common experience, and have a good time.
I went to the iPhone 3G launch in Providence, RI. Mind you, being RI, it was probably smaller than alot of other metropolitan launches. I only stood in line for about 2 hours, and the Apple employees gave us water bottles and answered questions while we were waiting in line.
Does my iPhone fill a void? Maybe. I had previously had the same Razr v3m for a few years, and the battery barely charged. Serendipitously, my Verizon contract had expired on the 6th of July, erego I avoided an ETF (aside from paying for the month of July, which meh).
You know what alot of us techies were doing in line? Working. I had my laptop on me and I was telecommuting to work the entire time. Just because we stand in line doesn't mean we're "wasting" our time, thats the beauty of the technology.
Lines really aren't a complete waste of time. I've stood in line for midnight releases at gamestop, and left not only with the game but with contact information of some new friends. I may be alone in this, but I still like REAL LIFE social networking, and in a line for something like a phone or a game you obviously share common interests with the people around you.
So, I do agree, it is only a phone. Would I camp overnight for it? No. But waiting in a line for a few hours isn't as crazy or worthless as some people make it out to be.
I agree w/Paul Michael, the issue isn't whether it's worth standing in line for or not, since there are obviously two camps here: those of us who would stand in line for recreational things, be it experiences, gadgets or books, and those of us who wouldn't for any reason unless it was a necessity such as food.
The issue is why not wait until you don't have to stand in line for it? Why the big rush to be the first on the block to own it? Who are we competing with? Why are we compelled to have the bragging rights of first ownership? What difference does it really make? That's the part I don't get.