We recently drove halfway across the country to be home for the holidays. We saved money by buying fruit, veggies, sandwich fixings, and other food items before we left. We also made a gallon of iced tea the night before. When we stopped for gas we made sandwiches, refilled our cups from home, and organized for the next leg of the trip. We also went to the library and borrowed books on CD, some novels, some for learning a language, some non-fiction. We made the trip in 16 hours and were exhausted but felt better than if we'd eaten fast food the whole way!
This is one of the reasons why I would never order a dslr camera from a website i'm not familiar with. I always go to authorized dealers, who are reputable such as J&R computer world, for example.
Andrea this is an excellent post. Can you give examples of what to say? I am in an email conversation with a new client and need to know how to word that my pay rate is higher than they are offering. I know what they are paying others doing the same work and it is MUCH higher. I have done one project with the company to get a foot in the door and have had a great review internally. Please help.
They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill! So they decided that the rich guy was a tool and stopped buying his stuff and his business went downhill fast. But the rich guy came back and apologised and all lived happily ever after.
I still live very near my family so, luckily, I don't have to travel for the holidays. But, if I did, I would try to make it a road trip whenever possible and stay at a reasonable rather than a luxury hotel. (Yes, staying with the fam would be free, but it would be much more sanity-saving and worth it to me to retreat to a hotel after some time with them!) :)
We try and book early, stay with friends and family when possible (we get to spend more time with them too), and make sure we have snacks along for the trip to avoid unexpected food purchases
You know, my son, 17, was jsut saying the same thing. We were both in shock at what people were stock piling, like mouthwash bottles and bottles of mouthwash, what of the expiration date? We were saying the same thing - this is pure waste and greed. Maybe the extreme couponers can open a small store to sell in their neighbourhood, then it won't seem so wasteful.
These are great options. I don't often regift because of the risk of hurting the giver's feelings, but I have donated some things I definitely can't use. I like the idea of refinishing or "crafting up" not-so-nice things. At least it won't be completely wasted.
Hi,
To sub in Arizona you are paid $100 a day, and you do not need a bachelors. The requirements are 15 college credit hours (around 5 classes) and a fingerprint/background clearance (that's around $35-$75, depending on.where you live). It is the same in the manner that they call at last minute, but it pays well
(here) and is great for stay at home parents or college students.
Also, I am not sure with Avon, but Mary Kay requires a large start up fee to sell it, plus you buy all of your product up front and then name your money back: you sell it for 50% more than what you bought it for. If you have enough time to invest in meeting new consumers (through hosting parties, going to functions, etc.) a large amount of money can be made. That start up will have to be paid off first though. When I was selling my "manager" wanted me to buy $1000 worth of product on my credit card, and that wad the minimum, plus I had a start up fee of $300. If you have the money to front and lots of time to invest, it is possible to make it back. It is also a tax write off, along with your home, car, etc., as it is considered as a small business.
Great tips - especially your point about emphasizing the company! I advise people to count the personal pronouns in their cover letter. They are usually shocked at the amount. That alone is usually enough to convince them to make the cover letter more employer focused.
given the significant net carb-bump that 1 cup of mashed bananas offers, 44g, I would replace that ingredient with the same amount of pumpkin puree, whose net carbs come in at about 8g. It'll also cut the calories.
Similar carb savings can be realized by swapping out the oatmeal a combination of sliced almonds + pumpkin seeds ground into a meal with a food processor.
Here is what I can add as a financial professional. The investment fees you pay are a small percentage of the overall fees a plan may have. In most cases, you will have no ways of getting away from them.
Part of your 401k fees goes to pay for professional financial help which your employer is required to provide. Use those resources.
Do your research, not every managed mutual fund is bad, not every index fund is good. Especially over the past few years. Look into the fees on the individual investment options, but look at the net expense, which is after all the fee waivers.
If your employer gives you a match.... take it, even if the fees were 50%, it is still free money that you are getting. If there is no match, then I agree, an IRA or Roth IRA makes more sense as you have more control, however that is assuming you are able to contribute. Secondly, you are limited to the amount of contributions you can make to an IRA. Lastly, 401k's have more provisions for accessing your money if you need it. The only way to take money out of an IRA is through withdrawals.
There is no right or wrong, there is simply what is best for you and your individual situation. Look at all your options, ask your 401k provider, ask your HR. Worst case, shoot me an email and will be glad to answer any questions.
I don't know how practical a few of those may be, and do have a suggestion. In a lot of cultures, turning down a gift, even if you do not like it, would be taken as an insult, and sometimes you just have to take it.
One suggestion I would make is this.... Donate. =)
There are plenty of organizations that would be happy to take anything they can get. A year ago, I received about 20 various teddy bears. We were able to donate them to the local hospital for kids with cancer. They appreciated the gift very much.
Secondly, organizations that are for new immigrants. Often times, family will have no relatives here and need all the help they can get. When we immigrated to the United States back in 1991, the Jewish Family Services helped us a lot.
We have a new breed of coupon website. A lot of these have replicate the other. There is a movement in the way coupon sites work & we are at the forefront.
to all the haters of store brand formula. what would you rather have more people on wic and food stamps? its regulated and its cheaper. i breastfed my daughter un till 6 months because since day one she eat 8oz every three hours and after working i could not keep up so i do half and half so i can have a break. thats my own two cents and go all you couponers or frugel people out there.
Except for cross-country trips (and those are never at "holiday" times), we drive. To save on accomodations, we made black-out window covers and built a removable bed base in our minivan using plywood and metal coffee-table-height legs, toss on camping mats with foam toppers and sleeping bags and sleep in the van en route. With the addition of a down comforter on top, we've slept comfortably in temps down into the mid-20's. Getting up at those temps is rather "refreshing", granted, but the van warms quickly once we're on the road again. With a porta-potty and cooler/food box tucked into the storage space under the bed, our travel expenses are reduced to basically the cost of the gas.
When we began to revamp our life into a slow one without the materialism so heavily promoted in this culture, we politely refused gifts and everyone understood except those family members who were using gifts are leverage (ugh). We were willing to piss them off since it really wasn't a gift, it was an obligation disguised as a fake gift. Being authentic to us is as important as being slow and mindfully economical in our consumption.
Not a bad idea for those gift-exchangey type of events. I remember one White Elephant party I attended where the "least desirable" gift was a 12 pack of toilet paper. I was pretty happy to get it, because, I mean, toilet paper! Everyone needs it!
It can be tough to ask for higher pay, but I usually use something along the lines of
"My rate higher than what you are offering, but I believe that my services and experience make me well worth my asking price."
or
"The market rate is actually a bit higher than what you are offering. I'd like you to consider my going rate, which is X".
This is where references come in handy!
We recently drove halfway across the country to be home for the holidays. We saved money by buying fruit, veggies, sandwich fixings, and other food items before we left. We also made a gallon of iced tea the night before. When we stopped for gas we made sandwiches, refilled our cups from home, and organized for the next leg of the trip. We also went to the library and borrowed books on CD, some novels, some for learning a language, some non-fiction. We made the trip in 16 hours and were exhausted but felt better than if we'd eaten fast food the whole way!
This is one of the reasons why I would never order a dslr camera from a website i'm not familiar with. I always go to authorized dealers, who are reputable such as J&R computer world, for example.
Andrea this is an excellent post. Can you give examples of what to say? I am in an email conversation with a new client and need to know how to word that my pay rate is higher than they are offering. I know what they are paying others doing the same work and it is MUCH higher. I have done one project with the company to get a foot in the door and have had a great review internally. Please help.
They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill! So they decided that the rich guy was a tool and stopped buying his stuff and his business went downhill fast. But the rich guy came back and apologised and all lived happily ever after.
Great article! I just signed up for Morningstar! :)
I still live very near my family so, luckily, I don't have to travel for the holidays. But, if I did, I would try to make it a road trip whenever possible and stay at a reasonable rather than a luxury hotel. (Yes, staying with the fam would be free, but it would be much more sanity-saving and worth it to me to retreat to a hotel after some time with them!) :)
We try and book early, stay with friends and family when possible (we get to spend more time with them too), and make sure we have snacks along for the trip to avoid unexpected food purchases
Thankfully we don't have far to go so this is not a problem for us.
You know, my son, 17, was jsut saying the same thing. We were both in shock at what people were stock piling, like mouthwash bottles and bottles of mouthwash, what of the expiration date? We were saying the same thing - this is pure waste and greed. Maybe the extreme couponers can open a small store to sell in their neighbourhood, then it won't seem so wasteful.
These are great options. I don't often regift because of the risk of hurting the giver's feelings, but I have donated some things I definitely can't use. I like the idea of refinishing or "crafting up" not-so-nice things. At least it won't be completely wasted.
Hi,
To sub in Arizona you are paid $100 a day, and you do not need a bachelors. The requirements are 15 college credit hours (around 5 classes) and a fingerprint/background clearance (that's around $35-$75, depending on.where you live). It is the same in the manner that they call at last minute, but it pays well
(here) and is great for stay at home parents or college students.
Also, I am not sure with Avon, but Mary Kay requires a large start up fee to sell it, plus you buy all of your product up front and then name your money back: you sell it for 50% more than what you bought it for. If you have enough time to invest in meeting new consumers (through hosting parties, going to functions, etc.) a large amount of money can be made. That start up will have to be paid off first though. When I was selling my "manager" wanted me to buy $1000 worth of product on my credit card, and that wad the minimum, plus I had a start up fee of $300. If you have the money to front and lots of time to invest, it is possible to make it back. It is also a tax write off, along with your home, car, etc., as it is considered as a small business.
Hope this helps! :)
Great tips - especially your point about emphasizing the company! I advise people to count the personal pronouns in their cover letter. They are usually shocked at the amount. That alone is usually enough to convince them to make the cover letter more employer focused.
given the significant net carb-bump that 1 cup of mashed bananas offers, 44g, I would replace that ingredient with the same amount of pumpkin puree, whose net carbs come in at about 8g. It'll also cut the calories.
Similar carb savings can be realized by swapping out the oatmeal a combination of sliced almonds + pumpkin seeds ground into a meal with a food processor.
Here is what I can add as a financial professional. The investment fees you pay are a small percentage of the overall fees a plan may have. In most cases, you will have no ways of getting away from them.
Part of your 401k fees goes to pay for professional financial help which your employer is required to provide. Use those resources.
Do your research, not every managed mutual fund is bad, not every index fund is good. Especially over the past few years. Look into the fees on the individual investment options, but look at the net expense, which is after all the fee waivers.
If your employer gives you a match.... take it, even if the fees were 50%, it is still free money that you are getting. If there is no match, then I agree, an IRA or Roth IRA makes more sense as you have more control, however that is assuming you are able to contribute. Secondly, you are limited to the amount of contributions you can make to an IRA. Lastly, 401k's have more provisions for accessing your money if you need it. The only way to take money out of an IRA is through withdrawals.
There is no right or wrong, there is simply what is best for you and your individual situation. Look at all your options, ask your 401k provider, ask your HR. Worst case, shoot me an email and will be glad to answer any questions.
I don't know how practical a few of those may be, and do have a suggestion. In a lot of cultures, turning down a gift, even if you do not like it, would be taken as an insult, and sometimes you just have to take it.
One suggestion I would make is this.... Donate. =)
There are plenty of organizations that would be happy to take anything they can get. A year ago, I received about 20 various teddy bears. We were able to donate them to the local hospital for kids with cancer. They appreciated the gift very much.
Secondly, organizations that are for new immigrants. Often times, family will have no relatives here and need all the help they can get. When we immigrated to the United States back in 1991, the Jewish Family Services helped us a lot.
We have a new breed of coupon website. A lot of these have replicate the other. There is a movement in the way coupon sites work & we are at the forefront.
We give up our seats for incredible vouchers and free first class upgrades.
to all the haters of store brand formula. what would you rather have more people on wic and food stamps? its regulated and its cheaper. i breastfed my daughter un till 6 months because since day one she eat 8oz every three hours and after working i could not keep up so i do half and half so i can have a break. thats my own two cents and go all you couponers or frugel people out there.
i just like the idea about reselling, and you just got me there!nice!
Except for cross-country trips (and those are never at "holiday" times), we drive. To save on accomodations, we made black-out window covers and built a removable bed base in our minivan using plywood and metal coffee-table-height legs, toss on camping mats with foam toppers and sleeping bags and sleep in the van en route. With the addition of a down comforter on top, we've slept comfortably in temps down into the mid-20's. Getting up at those temps is rather "refreshing", granted, but the van warms quickly once we're on the road again. With a porta-potty and cooler/food box tucked into the storage space under the bed, our travel expenses are reduced to basically the cost of the gas.
When we began to revamp our life into a slow one without the materialism so heavily promoted in this culture, we politely refused gifts and everyone understood except those family members who were using gifts are leverage (ugh). We were willing to piss them off since it really wasn't a gift, it was an obligation disguised as a fake gift. Being authentic to us is as important as being slow and mindfully economical in our consumption.
Not a bad idea for those gift-exchangey type of events. I remember one White Elephant party I attended where the "least desirable" gift was a 12 pack of toilet paper. I was pretty happy to get it, because, I mean, toilet paper! Everyone needs it!
I only drive to my brother's, which doesn't cost too much. I also cook from scratch, which saves money. Happy holidays!
You are welcome Joe!