I save on Valentine's Day by not buying anything at all for my husband...what he wants most of all is time to be together. We usually have a date night at home.
Your right. When I went to change phone companies a few years ago they were going to give me some version of VoIP and an UPS to provide 20 min of phone service in the event of a power outage. We have at least 2 afternoons a year without power & while i appreciate that quiet spell, I want to be able to call 911 if my kids do something dim & need medical attention. My phone is over copper & it makes me feel better. You never know when there will be a power outage & if you remembered to charge up the cell right before it starts or of the battery will last until power is restored, also I don't want to have to worry about my phone service going out when power fluctuates comes back. We had a 4-5 hour outage last August that started while we were at work & the surge when the power came back fried the circuit board of our washing machine. I unplugged the entertainment center, cordless phone units, computers, everything i didn't want to have to worry about replacing since I've had surge protectors fry & pass the volts on to the devices - never thought of the circuitry inside my washer! Would hate to have the phone out until I replaced the UPS.
I do agree with one of the other posters - if you've never had a land line then you don't have the expectation that comes with it, just like any other service that some people find valuable while others go without. I want to be able to talk to relatives in other states for hours while I garden or cook, cell phones are easy to physically drop or ear pieces fall out during those activities and can get uncomfortable to finagle - not to mention the minutes can rack up if you don't have unlimited minutes. After my first kid, the phone became my main means of reaching out to ppl because you can't go out & hang out as much as you did kid free. Email & online chatting are great however, there is something there in the other layers of communication that you get via voice that just makes talking socially valuable.
It's sad to see that Bank of America has the lowest score since this is the bank I am using. However, I am really unhappy with it lately so I just might switch to a better solution. Chase looks fine.
"Chase scored the highest in customer satisfaction among big banks, followed by Wells Fargo."
Oh good, I used to argue frequently that I've been with Wells Fargo (and Wachovia prior to WF purchasing it) for years and I've never experienced a single problem. On the other hand, the endless complaints I encountered about WF was beginning to make me wonder if I had a magic aura preventing poor service or something, but this ranking seems to confirm others feel the same.
I've also recently sign up with a few other banks, including a credit union and online one. What can I say? I wanted to try them all. Surprisingly enough, the online bank I chose (Ally Bank) was lauded for incredible customer service (as most online banks seem to have), but I had more issues with them (system-wise and customer service) than I've ever had with Wells Fargo.
Mind you, Ally is still very good. The ATM fee reimbursement and high interest rate will pretty much guarantee my continued usage. And really, the issues I encounter didn't bother me that much anyway (albeit they were very annoying).
As for the credit union? Well, I finally got to experience the 'personal touch' I keep hearing about. Even months after I got the account, I was still getting calls from them asking if I was alright and happy. All in all, though, the suspected lack of convenience was definitely there -- low amount of ATMs, inability to do certain things (like close a checking account) without going to a branch, horrible online account management UI, and even a maintenance fee for having an ATM card (!!).
To get to the point, each type of bank have their pros/cons, but overall, I haven't encounter any major issues with any of them. If questioned, I would say my ideal situation is two accounts: One with Ally for the interest/ATM reimbursement and one with Wells Fargo (or whichever major bank is most prolific in your area) for the convenience and the ability to deposit cash.
I read the reviews for any item that I am purchasing online and I cannot scope out in a store beforehand.
I also read the reviews for any electronic item or kitchen gadget over $50.
Not only does this protect me from buying a dud product, it deters me from purchasing things I don't need.
No doubt about it - you are right on, Guest! The other thing to watch out for is when they overlook successes, and no matter how well you do, or have done in the past, it is not good enough. They focus on the minutia. If you are being held to a higher standard that the office in general, then something is up - usually not a promotion. When management is questioned, they do not have rational answers, they do not want to discuss at any length, or they just aren't making sense any longer in relation to history. Heaven forbid if the "dirty trick syndrome" starts - in other words - the office is out to discredit you. That is the worst!
I can agree with your reasoning behind a landline, but I think it really depends on what your situation is. My wife and I have been married for just over a year and have never had a landline at our new house. I don't miss it one bit. On the other hand, my parents have always had one and my mom wouldn't be able to survive without one.
This is a good way to help distinguish between manufactured wants and legitimate needs.
I've been doing the "Delay Purchase" thing the last several months as part of a larger decluttering effort, and as I cycle through some of the tricks you mention (substitute, borrow, be creative), I'm consistently winding up at "Change Your Mind," the greatest declutterer and bank account fattener of all.
I love the delayed purchasing strategy. Delaying or just pausing, can open the door to a lot of possibilities, including earning extra income to pay for the item and just more time to think about whether or not it's essential. More times than not, you can borrow the item, or buy used and get what you need. We fool ourselves into thinking we must always buy new and even our needs can get distorted.
My husband and I moved our money to a local credit union last year on the "Move Your Money" day and it was the best decision we could have made. We have free interest bearing checking and savings accounts. There are no ATM fees and if we use another bank's ATM, our credit union pays their usage fee. They send drafts for free, no need to write checks, I just set it up online. We also refinanced our mortgage with our credit union. The interest rate is very low and they hold our loan and will not sell it to a big bank. Our last bank sold our mortgage to Wells Fargo...worst bank I have ever dealt with.
I use a bucket budget system - mainly so I don't have to worry about outstanding checks -I have tried 9 banks total & have kept 5 open. 3 are credit unions & two are kinda large banks. Each bank I use to keep $ for certain things seperate. It works great for me, especially if a Dr or service company sits on a check for a long time.
The Credit Union I've used for 6-7yrs for my household bills I'm getting ready to leave. I'm leaving because I get charged to get a bank statement mailed however, many times i can't access stmts on their website due to their system. In the last year they closed 4 branches and 2 of those were very conveinent to me. The nearest branch, when I withdraw money they frequently give me an amt other then what I requested. Which can be akward when $40 short to buy something off of Criagslist. They want to charge me a fee for getting a new debit card when the one they issued me last year wore out & doesn't work anymore. Due to changes they'v made in the last year, I can't access any account or check history past 90 days online, I have a dispute with a vendor right now & need the last 6 months worth of checks I wrote to said vendor - I have to pay a research fee of $25/hr to get check copies farther back then mid-November.
My other two credit unions i love their service.
One I use to save up for my property taxes & such. I've had the acct for about 5 years and used them for random things until the local branch closed 2-3years ago. They pay good interest & have provided great customer service. They no longer have a branch in my town so that's why I don't use them much any more.
The 3rd credit union I've used off & on for 15years. They annoy me often however, usually a little while after irking me they offer some service no one else has & that brings me back. I can access check copies on their website going back upto 3 yrs, they send a weekly summary of bill pay things I have scheduled to go out so I know if I missed a pymt & I don't have to login to their site to see what I have setup to go out. In the last year they added a reports feature to their website so I can generate all sorts of neat reports. The one I like the most is a report of tax deductible items. I'm switching to use these guys as my primary bank because of the weekly emails & the reports. I was going to close them last year and kept not getting to it. An annual automatic deposit accidentally went to them & that's how I discovered the new web features. They should put this stuff in their newsletter - if I'd known sooner I would have switched my paycheck to them within a month!
I also have a Greatwestern account for my food & gas money - I originally opened it for daycare funds but my last kid outgrew days care last year. I like this bank because I get an email within 15 minutes of a problem or incoming deposit. If I goof up on my numbers & go negetive i have 24hrs to get money in there without a fee. Also they have branches all over my region which makes it easy to grab money or get assistance. They replace my debit card for free when ever it's stopped working (usually the strip wears out). They also provide free check copies with my statements which was extremely useful back when my kids were in daycare, 3 times over the years i had providers say I owed them & check copies are proof of pymt.
The other bank is USAA and they are OK. I've had them for almost 20years. They used to be my primary bank and then my food/gas acct until they made their website really complicated & their billpay page was so crammed I had trouble reading it (would actually have to change my monitor settings to read it). I kept it open because of my insurance, it's free to have the account open and my retirement account is linked to it. They are a good bank, I just have limited time & get tired of how long it takes to load or find info I need on the site. Between my work & kids I have about two quiet thrity minute windows every week to do finances.
I've become convinced that banks are like shoes & fit everyone differently with their different featues & services. I have to have a free acct & reliable, legible web access and also a branch that's easily accessable after work in the event i need to drop off a check or get $ for the kids allowance or garage sales.
You can put just about any fruit or vegetable into a bread. It's a great way to use things that are getting a little old or dented in the fridge. Try putting the ingredient you want into the search engine at http://punchfork.com/ - you will be inspired by what pops up!
We are very happy with Regions Bank, which we acquired after the unbelievably disastrous takeover of Riverside Bank, a small chain that went south in Florida, was rescued by the Feds and sold to the highest bidder (TD Bank). Several loans still remain at TD Bank only because the payoff is soon enough and there is no way to move it all without costing money.
They brag of being convenient but any little thing (like requesting a tax document well past its deadline) turns into a lengthy exercise in exasperated detente. Once paid off, we'll be ditching them but in the meantime, we enjoy no lines at TD Bank since many fellow customers left shortly after the takeover.
As an aside, we don't use bank issued credit cards -- only American Express who has treated us with exceptional service since forever.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had never heard of the company; there are a couple of locations in nearby towns but the intro fee is $19.99 plus an annual fee. Still, some fees can be negotiable or there may be better deals in your area.
Great Article! I have an iPad and I love it, its great for reading and taking notes on long PDF documents (notability is by far the best application I've used for taking notes without using paper) that I have to read in school.
Great Article! Apple products are always coming out with new products, so it can be annoying and difficult to decide what to buy. If you were to wait for the newest iPad mini, there will be a new one that will release six months after that. You can never win!
Great tips! My favorite is shopping second hand, I'm a big thrifter because I save a ton of money and I am more likely to get a unique product! My whole apartment is decorated with painted and re-covered furniture I found at thrift stores and it looks nothing like the ikea catalog apartments my friends live in (and it cost less than half the price too!)!
My mom says she's keeping her landline because her cable package costs the same with or without a landline, but she never uses it for anything productive and more than half of the calls that come in are telemarketers or calls with no one on the other end! Its more of a hassle to listen to the phone ring and check messages to delete than it is to just cancel the landline- its useless.
I use a local (actually regional) bank and am quite happy with it; also have my mortgage there. A little over a year ago, they did start charging a fee on their interest-bearing account (which was several times the few cents of interest earned each month) so I moved to their non-interest-bearing account which is still free. There is no charge for ATM transactions at their ATMs, but there is a fee for using the ATM/debit card at POS terminals, so I still write a few checks instead. When I turn 55 later this year, I qualify for a no-fee interest-bearing account and free POS transactions - can't wait!
btw, if taking a bottle all at once, in homeopathy, it's the same energetic dosage as taking only one of the pills. A dose is a dose. The only danger is in taking a wrong and most likely high potency remedy repeatedly. The power comes from the kinesthetic energy (from the pounding) added to the "fingerprint", or "memory" of the original substance.
Homeopathy works on different principles than Western medicine, it works energetically, and it actually works on helping the body to heal, not just masking symptoms. It won't do anything if it's the wrong remedy, because it removes blockages in the meridians which cause the symptoms. If it's the wrong remedy, it isn't getting the right pattern to help fight anything off. If it is the right one, your body heals holistically. That is one of the beautiful things about homeopathy-- it isn't dangerous! (unless you take the wrong thing over and over until it turns toxic) Why should that be a detriment?! Until you judge, you should go see a homeopath for a legitimate concern and see what happens. After that, you can make your judgement.
I save on Valentine's Day by not buying anything at all for my husband...what he wants most of all is time to be together. We usually have a date night at home.
It's best always if you can wait til off season. Get a gas grill now versus the middle of the summer for example.
Your right. When I went to change phone companies a few years ago they were going to give me some version of VoIP and an UPS to provide 20 min of phone service in the event of a power outage. We have at least 2 afternoons a year without power & while i appreciate that quiet spell, I want to be able to call 911 if my kids do something dim & need medical attention. My phone is over copper & it makes me feel better. You never know when there will be a power outage & if you remembered to charge up the cell right before it starts or of the battery will last until power is restored, also I don't want to have to worry about my phone service going out when power fluctuates comes back. We had a 4-5 hour outage last August that started while we were at work & the surge when the power came back fried the circuit board of our washing machine. I unplugged the entertainment center, cordless phone units, computers, everything i didn't want to have to worry about replacing since I've had surge protectors fry & pass the volts on to the devices - never thought of the circuitry inside my washer! Would hate to have the phone out until I replaced the UPS.
I do agree with one of the other posters - if you've never had a land line then you don't have the expectation that comes with it, just like any other service that some people find valuable while others go without. I want to be able to talk to relatives in other states for hours while I garden or cook, cell phones are easy to physically drop or ear pieces fall out during those activities and can get uncomfortable to finagle - not to mention the minutes can rack up if you don't have unlimited minutes. After my first kid, the phone became my main means of reaching out to ppl because you can't go out & hang out as much as you did kid free. Email & online chatting are great however, there is something there in the other layers of communication that you get via voice that just makes talking socially valuable.
It's sad to see that Bank of America has the lowest score since this is the bank I am using. However, I am really unhappy with it lately so I just might switch to a better solution. Chase looks fine.
"Chase scored the highest in customer satisfaction among big banks, followed by Wells Fargo."
Oh good, I used to argue frequently that I've been with Wells Fargo (and Wachovia prior to WF purchasing it) for years and I've never experienced a single problem. On the other hand, the endless complaints I encountered about WF was beginning to make me wonder if I had a magic aura preventing poor service or something, but this ranking seems to confirm others feel the same.
I've also recently sign up with a few other banks, including a credit union and online one. What can I say? I wanted to try them all. Surprisingly enough, the online bank I chose (Ally Bank) was lauded for incredible customer service (as most online banks seem to have), but I had more issues with them (system-wise and customer service) than I've ever had with Wells Fargo.
Mind you, Ally is still very good. The ATM fee reimbursement and high interest rate will pretty much guarantee my continued usage. And really, the issues I encounter didn't bother me that much anyway (albeit they were very annoying).
As for the credit union? Well, I finally got to experience the 'personal touch' I keep hearing about. Even months after I got the account, I was still getting calls from them asking if I was alright and happy. All in all, though, the suspected lack of convenience was definitely there -- low amount of ATMs, inability to do certain things (like close a checking account) without going to a branch, horrible online account management UI, and even a maintenance fee for having an ATM card (!!).
To get to the point, each type of bank have their pros/cons, but overall, I haven't encounter any major issues with any of them. If questioned, I would say my ideal situation is two accounts: One with Ally for the interest/ATM reimbursement and one with Wells Fargo (or whichever major bank is most prolific in your area) for the convenience and the ability to deposit cash.
I read the reviews for any item that I am purchasing online and I cannot scope out in a store beforehand.
I also read the reviews for any electronic item or kitchen gadget over $50.
Not only does this protect me from buying a dud product, it deters me from purchasing things I don't need.
No doubt about it - you are right on, Guest! The other thing to watch out for is when they overlook successes, and no matter how well you do, or have done in the past, it is not good enough. They focus on the minutia. If you are being held to a higher standard that the office in general, then something is up - usually not a promotion. When management is questioned, they do not have rational answers, they do not want to discuss at any length, or they just aren't making sense any longer in relation to history. Heaven forbid if the "dirty trick syndrome" starts - in other words - the office is out to discredit you. That is the worst!
I can agree with your reasoning behind a landline, but I think it really depends on what your situation is. My wife and I have been married for just over a year and have never had a landline at our new house. I don't miss it one bit. On the other hand, my parents have always had one and my mom wouldn't be able to survive without one.
This is a good way to help distinguish between manufactured wants and legitimate needs.
I've been doing the "Delay Purchase" thing the last several months as part of a larger decluttering effort, and as I cycle through some of the tricks you mention (substitute, borrow, be creative), I'm consistently winding up at "Change Your Mind," the greatest declutterer and bank account fattener of all.
I love the delayed purchasing strategy. Delaying or just pausing, can open the door to a lot of possibilities, including earning extra income to pay for the item and just more time to think about whether or not it's essential. More times than not, you can borrow the item, or buy used and get what you need. We fool ourselves into thinking we must always buy new and even our needs can get distorted.
My husband and I moved our money to a local credit union last year on the "Move Your Money" day and it was the best decision we could have made. We have free interest bearing checking and savings accounts. There are no ATM fees and if we use another bank's ATM, our credit union pays their usage fee. They send drafts for free, no need to write checks, I just set it up online. We also refinanced our mortgage with our credit union. The interest rate is very low and they hold our loan and will not sell it to a big bank. Our last bank sold our mortgage to Wells Fargo...worst bank I have ever dealt with.
I use a bucket budget system - mainly so I don't have to worry about outstanding checks -I have tried 9 banks total & have kept 5 open. 3 are credit unions & two are kinda large banks. Each bank I use to keep $ for certain things seperate. It works great for me, especially if a Dr or service company sits on a check for a long time.
The Credit Union I've used for 6-7yrs for my household bills I'm getting ready to leave. I'm leaving because I get charged to get a bank statement mailed however, many times i can't access stmts on their website due to their system. In the last year they closed 4 branches and 2 of those were very conveinent to me. The nearest branch, when I withdraw money they frequently give me an amt other then what I requested. Which can be akward when $40 short to buy something off of Criagslist. They want to charge me a fee for getting a new debit card when the one they issued me last year wore out & doesn't work anymore. Due to changes they'v made in the last year, I can't access any account or check history past 90 days online, I have a dispute with a vendor right now & need the last 6 months worth of checks I wrote to said vendor - I have to pay a research fee of $25/hr to get check copies farther back then mid-November.
My other two credit unions i love their service.
One I use to save up for my property taxes & such. I've had the acct for about 5 years and used them for random things until the local branch closed 2-3years ago. They pay good interest & have provided great customer service. They no longer have a branch in my town so that's why I don't use them much any more.
The 3rd credit union I've used off & on for 15years. They annoy me often however, usually a little while after irking me they offer some service no one else has & that brings me back. I can access check copies on their website going back upto 3 yrs, they send a weekly summary of bill pay things I have scheduled to go out so I know if I missed a pymt & I don't have to login to their site to see what I have setup to go out. In the last year they added a reports feature to their website so I can generate all sorts of neat reports. The one I like the most is a report of tax deductible items. I'm switching to use these guys as my primary bank because of the weekly emails & the reports. I was going to close them last year and kept not getting to it. An annual automatic deposit accidentally went to them & that's how I discovered the new web features. They should put this stuff in their newsletter - if I'd known sooner I would have switched my paycheck to them within a month!
I also have a Greatwestern account for my food & gas money - I originally opened it for daycare funds but my last kid outgrew days care last year. I like this bank because I get an email within 15 minutes of a problem or incoming deposit. If I goof up on my numbers & go negetive i have 24hrs to get money in there without a fee. Also they have branches all over my region which makes it easy to grab money or get assistance. They replace my debit card for free when ever it's stopped working (usually the strip wears out). They also provide free check copies with my statements which was extremely useful back when my kids were in daycare, 3 times over the years i had providers say I owed them & check copies are proof of pymt.
The other bank is USAA and they are OK. I've had them for almost 20years. They used to be my primary bank and then my food/gas acct until they made their website really complicated & their billpay page was so crammed I had trouble reading it (would actually have to change my monitor settings to read it). I kept it open because of my insurance, it's free to have the account open and my retirement account is linked to it. They are a good bank, I just have limited time & get tired of how long it takes to load or find info I need on the site. Between my work & kids I have about two quiet thrity minute windows every week to do finances.
I've become convinced that banks are like shoes & fit everyone differently with their different featues & services. I have to have a free acct & reliable, legible web access and also a branch that's easily accessable after work in the event i need to drop off a check or get $ for the kids allowance or garage sales.
You can put just about any fruit or vegetable into a bread. It's a great way to use things that are getting a little old or dented in the fridge. Try putting the ingredient you want into the search engine at http://punchfork.com/ - you will be inspired by what pops up!
We are very happy with Regions Bank, which we acquired after the unbelievably disastrous takeover of Riverside Bank, a small chain that went south in Florida, was rescued by the Feds and sold to the highest bidder (TD Bank). Several loans still remain at TD Bank only because the payoff is soon enough and there is no way to move it all without costing money.
They brag of being convenient but any little thing (like requesting a tax document well past its deadline) turns into a lengthy exercise in exasperated detente. Once paid off, we'll be ditching them but in the meantime, we enjoy no lines at TD Bank since many fellow customers left shortly after the takeover.
As an aside, we don't use bank issued credit cards -- only American Express who has treated us with exceptional service since forever.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had never heard of the company; there are a couple of locations in nearby towns but the intro fee is $19.99 plus an annual fee. Still, some fees can be negotiable or there may be better deals in your area.
Great Article! I have an iPad and I love it, its great for reading and taking notes on long PDF documents (notability is by far the best application I've used for taking notes without using paper) that I have to read in school.
Great Article! Apple products are always coming out with new products, so it can be annoying and difficult to decide what to buy. If you were to wait for the newest iPad mini, there will be a new one that will release six months after that. You can never win!
I've never made apple or sweet potato bread, I'll have to try those out! Apple cake is another good one to get rid of some extra apples.
Great tips! My favorite is shopping second hand, I'm a big thrifter because I save a ton of money and I am more likely to get a unique product! My whole apartment is decorated with painted and re-covered furniture I found at thrift stores and it looks nothing like the ikea catalog apartments my friends live in (and it cost less than half the price too!)!
My mom says she's keeping her landline because her cable package costs the same with or without a landline, but she never uses it for anything productive and more than half of the calls that come in are telemarketers or calls with no one on the other end! Its more of a hassle to listen to the phone ring and check messages to delete than it is to just cancel the landline- its useless.
I use a local (actually regional) bank and am quite happy with it; also have my mortgage there. A little over a year ago, they did start charging a fee on their interest-bearing account (which was several times the few cents of interest earned each month) so I moved to their non-interest-bearing account which is still free. There is no charge for ATM transactions at their ATMs, but there is a fee for using the ATM/debit card at POS terminals, so I still write a few checks instead. When I turn 55 later this year, I qualify for a no-fee interest-bearing account and free POS transactions - can't wait!
Citibank has been closing branches near me (in NJ), and I'm not liking having to pay ATM fees.
Chase has opened some and has the proximity factor. Plus, their customer service continually rates high as does their innovation.
After over a decade with Citibank, I think I'm moving to Chase.
btw, if taking a bottle all at once, in homeopathy, it's the same energetic dosage as taking only one of the pills. A dose is a dose. The only danger is in taking a wrong and most likely high potency remedy repeatedly. The power comes from the kinesthetic energy (from the pounding) added to the "fingerprint", or "memory" of the original substance.
I feel safer with small local banks. They pay more attention to our needs.
Very good article!
Homeopathy works on different principles than Western medicine, it works energetically, and it actually works on helping the body to heal, not just masking symptoms. It won't do anything if it's the wrong remedy, because it removes blockages in the meridians which cause the symptoms. If it's the wrong remedy, it isn't getting the right pattern to help fight anything off. If it is the right one, your body heals holistically. That is one of the beautiful things about homeopathy-- it isn't dangerous! (unless you take the wrong thing over and over until it turns toxic) Why should that be a detriment?! Until you judge, you should go see a homeopath for a legitimate concern and see what happens. After that, you can make your judgement.