Absolutely I read the reviews. Amazon is a great place to check reviews on all sorts of things--but, honestly, I rarely shop anymore from any store (online) that doesn't post customer reviews.
I don't always read reviews before I purchase something, but I do if it's something that I would consider a larger purchase. I can think of three instances in which I've done this:
1. When I purchased a lapdesk. I had gone through two plastic ones in a year (I broke them in half), so I did about a week's worth of research reading reviews and deciding on what I wanted, and I purchased a bamboo lapdesk from B&N in 2010 that I still have. It was a little expensive (about twice as much as the others), but it's lasted for six times as long, and I don't see that changing in the future.
2. When I purchased my laptop. I had gone on the advice of another person the last time I made that purchase, so this time I wasn't going to make that mistake. I spent about a month reading reviews and really thinking about what I needed in a computer. I ended up with a $650 Asus laptop that I also purchased in 2010 that is still going strong.
3. When I picked out an e-reader (that I ended up getting for Christmas). After deciding what features were really important to me (e.g. touchscreen, expandable memory, wi-fi) and what weren't (access to Netflix), I settled on a Nook Simple Touch (and not just because it was cheapest!).
Usually if I'm making a purchase that I'm researching, it's because it's something that I want to last forever and is almost always electronics :)
Absolutely! I check all the reviews, good or bad, because sometimes a person gives something a bad review when the product just came in a bad package and it has nothing to do with the product use whatsoever. But sometimes, the bad reviews tell you what the product is really like. You have to use wisdom and choose wisely which reviews to believe.
Sometimes. If the item is a big purchase (car, refrigerator, etc) or electronic (video camera), then I try and read reviews. Often what sounds like a good deal turns out to be a lemon
I disagree on nixing the stand mixer, but then again I will always make space for it since I love how handy it is in the kitchen for so many things! I probably wouldn't have one if I hadn't registered for one, but I use it enough to make it worthwhile; it's the only wedding gift I refused to give up in my divorce.
I would say avoid GLASSWARE. I registered/received champagne glasses, wine glasses, tumblers, water goblets, brandy snifters, margarita glasses, beer mugs, and more. This later made moving pretty painful; I sold most of them in yard sales and kept the cheap (and sturdy) stuff only.
I agree on the knives though, as well as the sheets. Always ask for more towels than you need, and save them for later too. Think about how different kitchenware (and other items) has to be cleaned; if you're dishwasher-only people, don't register for non-dishwasher safe china. Same goes for silver that needs polishing. The additional chore will discourage you from using it at all.
Last bit of advice I'd give, go for the Le Creuset. That is, go for a few quality pots and pans (and pricey cast iron) because they'll last forever. Better than going cheap.
This is a great list! We've lived together for 6 years, so we've been wondering what we would put on ours. I think we're just going to replace a lot of our things with nicer stuff.
Yes! I usually check Amazon for reviews, but will Google as well. For me, if an item has 25+ reviews on Amazon at 4 stars or more, I feel pretty confident in my purchase. If it has fewer reviews, I tend to read them for quality to evaluate the item.
I always read reviews before buying big-ticket items. I just google the ones I'm interested and add "review". This usually gives me enough information to make an informed choice.
i understand the reluctance to pay a credit card fee. and for "big" companies to charge this, it is annoying and i'll try and take my business elsewhere. HOWEVER, a counterpoint is all the local, small businesses that are already trying to compete against a big box or chain store and then what small profit they make gets taken by the credit card companies. for some small businesses, the only way they can recoup those costs are to pass it on to the consumer. you'll have to make the decision on whether you're willing to pay the fee to support a small business.
My new year resolution is control on my expenses means control on money. For this, I prepared a plan that includes "Know Where Your Money Goes" and "Set Goals". Rest points are not included so far but these may be helpful for me to achieve my goal fast. Therefore I am going to add these all as well.
Your ideas are brilliant! Most of the time when we're remodeling our room, so many things have gone wasted. Your tips are such a blessing! I'm looking forward to apply these tips for my new bedroom.:)
Landlines are also useful when setting up home alarm systems. In addition, there are natural disaster situations when a landline would be much more reliable than a cell phone. In terms of savings, I would advocate trying to save on the cell phone package (i.e. reduce minutes, unlimited data, text messages etc) instead of getting rid of a landline,
This is awesome, and the timing is great. I've been an artist forever and have finally picked up a little steam in the freelancing department. In the last few years work has been sporadic and niche - podcasts wanting logos, a few things in the video game space - but one drawing I did hit big on imgur.com in November (over 300k hits in a weekend) and that filled my inbox with requests. I hadn't done it commercially - it was my kid and dog in the style of Calvin and Hobbes, for our Christmas cards - but people LOVED it.
I say all that to say this... In a couple weeks' time, let's say I had something like 50 to 100 emails asking if I could do a custom drawing or cartoon. I responded to each, although I'll admit at one point there were so many that the note was a bit form-letter, but each response contained a rate schedule (along with comparable estimate for the drawing they'd seen on imgur), and a mention of the contract I'd be drawing up along with payment terms; if they were still with me after that info, they could go ahead and send me more details of their needs.
Once people got wind of the price range - call it a couple hundred dollars per drawing, ballpark - the number of potential clients that even bothered continuing the conversation was only about 25%. Of those, fewer still actually followed through. In a couple cases, the would-be client agreed to the deal but never signed the contract or replied further.
That said, I took the projects I was given, made a few bucks for the holidays, and my clients were thrilled with the work and didn't seem bothered by the prices at all, so hey, happy times. Just know that nowhere near all of the people enthusiastically taking your card are going to turn into paying customers. Same as in any business, really. You appreciate the ones who buy/use your service, and don't spend too much energy lamenting those who don't.
Keep your head up!
PS - I can't tell you how many Craigslist ads for 'creative gigs' I've replied to and never got a response at all. Not even a 'sorry, your style doesn't fit our needs.' Nothing. That feels really weird. Don't reply to any of the 'no pay, but it'll look good on your resume!' ones, either.
i cant wait to use it on my face now after ready this as i have been suffering from an adult acne for about a month now and when a few go and clear up, more appear after a day or so, never seem to get anywhere no matter what stuff i try.
These are some great ideas for cutting frivolous spending out of your weekly schedule and to also make your life a little bit healthier! Cutting Starbucks, alcohol, takeout, and smoking are physically and mentally beneficial! This also provides a reasonable savings budget to where you don't have to drastically alter your lifestyle.
Hi I have recently married and we are currently repairing my wife's from a previous marriage, I we like to say it's a great piece a truly good sorce of information. Thank you. I would only add; that, to appear the 'model lender' you should use a card between 20-40% of its limit monthly and no more than 50 so a card with a limit of say 300 you should look to charge a minimum of 60 per month and never any more than 150. you MUST settle the balance on statement, this will generate 30 points on average per month.
Really good and easily manageable ideas. Taking your lunch to work, saying no to take out, making your own coffee in the morning, all of these easy things can save you money in both the short-term and long term. Also, if you think about it, its pretty easily assumed that all of us have something(s) that could be easily sold to a second hand shop and make money out of thin air.
Absolutely I read the reviews. Amazon is a great place to check reviews on all sorts of things--but, honestly, I rarely shop anymore from any store (online) that doesn't post customer reviews.
I don't always read reviews before I purchase something, but I do if it's something that I would consider a larger purchase. I can think of three instances in which I've done this:
1. When I purchased a lapdesk. I had gone through two plastic ones in a year (I broke them in half), so I did about a week's worth of research reading reviews and deciding on what I wanted, and I purchased a bamboo lapdesk from B&N in 2010 that I still have. It was a little expensive (about twice as much as the others), but it's lasted for six times as long, and I don't see that changing in the future.
2. When I purchased my laptop. I had gone on the advice of another person the last time I made that purchase, so this time I wasn't going to make that mistake. I spent about a month reading reviews and really thinking about what I needed in a computer. I ended up with a $650 Asus laptop that I also purchased in 2010 that is still going strong.
3. When I picked out an e-reader (that I ended up getting for Christmas). After deciding what features were really important to me (e.g. touchscreen, expandable memory, wi-fi) and what weren't (access to Netflix), I settled on a Nook Simple Touch (and not just because it was cheapest!).
Usually if I'm making a purchase that I'm researching, it's because it's something that I want to last forever and is almost always electronics :)
Fill up your cart/arms, get to the counter, see the additional fee, remark about the additional fee, leave items at counter, leave store.
I almost *always* read reviews before purchasing. I want to know what issues to look for.
I usually read Amazon reviews before I buy.
I always read the reviews on Amazon. Sometimes a product sounds great, but folks will tell you the cons that the company won't.
Absolutely! I check all the reviews, good or bad, because sometimes a person gives something a bad review when the product just came in a bad package and it has nothing to do with the product use whatsoever. But sometimes, the bad reviews tell you what the product is really like. You have to use wisdom and choose wisely which reviews to believe.
Yes, I read reviews, mostly on amazon or other retailer websites.
Sometimes. If the item is a big purchase (car, refrigerator, etc) or electronic (video camera), then I try and read reviews. Often what sounds like a good deal turns out to be a lemon
I disagree on nixing the stand mixer, but then again I will always make space for it since I love how handy it is in the kitchen for so many things! I probably wouldn't have one if I hadn't registered for one, but I use it enough to make it worthwhile; it's the only wedding gift I refused to give up in my divorce.
I would say avoid GLASSWARE. I registered/received champagne glasses, wine glasses, tumblers, water goblets, brandy snifters, margarita glasses, beer mugs, and more. This later made moving pretty painful; I sold most of them in yard sales and kept the cheap (and sturdy) stuff only.
I agree on the knives though, as well as the sheets. Always ask for more towels than you need, and save them for later too. Think about how different kitchenware (and other items) has to be cleaned; if you're dishwasher-only people, don't register for non-dishwasher safe china. Same goes for silver that needs polishing. The additional chore will discourage you from using it at all.
Last bit of advice I'd give, go for the Le Creuset. That is, go for a few quality pots and pans (and pricey cast iron) because they'll last forever. Better than going cheap.
This is a great list! We've lived together for 6 years, so we've been wondering what we would put on ours. I think we're just going to replace a lot of our things with nicer stuff.
Yes! I usually check Amazon for reviews, but will Google as well. For me, if an item has 25+ reviews on Amazon at 4 stars or more, I feel pretty confident in my purchase. If it has fewer reviews, I tend to read them for quality to evaluate the item.
I always read reviews before buying big-ticket items. I just google the ones I'm interested and add "review". This usually gives me enough information to make an informed choice.
i understand the reluctance to pay a credit card fee. and for "big" companies to charge this, it is annoying and i'll try and take my business elsewhere. HOWEVER, a counterpoint is all the local, small businesses that are already trying to compete against a big box or chain store and then what small profit they make gets taken by the credit card companies. for some small businesses, the only way they can recoup those costs are to pass it on to the consumer. you'll have to make the decision on whether you're willing to pay the fee to support a small business.
I almost always read reviews of products since I don't trust marketing that much. I usually take them with a grain of salt though.
My new year resolution is control on my expenses means control on money. For this, I prepared a plan that includes "Know Where Your Money Goes" and "Set Goals". Rest points are not included so far but these may be helpful for me to achieve my goal fast. Therefore I am going to add these all as well.
Your ideas are brilliant! Most of the time when we're remodeling our room, so many things have gone wasted. Your tips are such a blessing! I'm looking forward to apply these tips for my new bedroom.:)
Landlines are also useful when setting up home alarm systems. In addition, there are natural disaster situations when a landline would be much more reliable than a cell phone. In terms of savings, I would advocate trying to save on the cell phone package (i.e. reduce minutes, unlimited data, text messages etc) instead of getting rid of a landline,
This is awesome, and the timing is great. I've been an artist forever and have finally picked up a little steam in the freelancing department. In the last few years work has been sporadic and niche - podcasts wanting logos, a few things in the video game space - but one drawing I did hit big on imgur.com in November (over 300k hits in a weekend) and that filled my inbox with requests. I hadn't done it commercially - it was my kid and dog in the style of Calvin and Hobbes, for our Christmas cards - but people LOVED it.
I say all that to say this... In a couple weeks' time, let's say I had something like 50 to 100 emails asking if I could do a custom drawing or cartoon. I responded to each, although I'll admit at one point there were so many that the note was a bit form-letter, but each response contained a rate schedule (along with comparable estimate for the drawing they'd seen on imgur), and a mention of the contract I'd be drawing up along with payment terms; if they were still with me after that info, they could go ahead and send me more details of their needs.
Once people got wind of the price range - call it a couple hundred dollars per drawing, ballpark - the number of potential clients that even bothered continuing the conversation was only about 25%. Of those, fewer still actually followed through. In a couple cases, the would-be client agreed to the deal but never signed the contract or replied further.
That said, I took the projects I was given, made a few bucks for the holidays, and my clients were thrilled with the work and didn't seem bothered by the prices at all, so hey, happy times. Just know that nowhere near all of the people enthusiastically taking your card are going to turn into paying customers. Same as in any business, really. You appreciate the ones who buy/use your service, and don't spend too much energy lamenting those who don't.
Keep your head up!
PS - I can't tell you how many Craigslist ads for 'creative gigs' I've replied to and never got a response at all. Not even a 'sorry, your style doesn't fit our needs.' Nothing. That feels really weird. Don't reply to any of the 'no pay, but it'll look good on your resume!' ones, either.
i cant wait to use it on my face now after ready this as i have been suffering from an adult acne for about a month now and when a few go and clear up, more appear after a day or so, never seem to get anywhere no matter what stuff i try.
I just bought a mint plant at the farmers market two weeks ago and after reading this I am so excited that I have it now! Very useful, awesome post.
These are some great ideas for cutting frivolous spending out of your weekly schedule and to also make your life a little bit healthier! Cutting Starbucks, alcohol, takeout, and smoking are physically and mentally beneficial! This also provides a reasonable savings budget to where you don't have to drastically alter your lifestyle.
These articles are very insightful! I especially enjoyed 'The Best Job Hunting Tips of the Year' !
Hi I have recently married and we are currently repairing my wife's from a previous marriage, I we like to say it's a great piece a truly good sorce of information. Thank you. I would only add; that, to appear the 'model lender' you should use a card between 20-40% of its limit monthly and no more than 50 so a card with a limit of say 300 you should look to charge a minimum of 60 per month and never any more than 150. you MUST settle the balance on statement, this will generate 30 points on average per month.
Really good and easily manageable ideas. Taking your lunch to work, saying no to take out, making your own coffee in the morning, all of these easy things can save you money in both the short-term and long term. Also, if you think about it, its pretty easily assumed that all of us have something(s) that could be easily sold to a second hand shop and make money out of thin air.