It is not bad pine nuts that cause the metallic taste - it is all pine nuts. I forget what it is in pine nuts that does this, but it is in their nature to do this!
1. Do NOT go shopping hungry as you'll end up buying more impulse items than normal and those are usually sweet & salty processed items.
2. Do NOT take kids with you to the store as someone else hinted at (the curveball). They want items I mentioned in #1 & a $4 box of cereal for a .50 toy. They'll also try to get you to buy overpriced toys as well even though some supermarkets have little if any selection.
3. Consider Costco for things used often but make sure the price is below most grocery sales prices after coupons. Our Costco has organic, grass fed beef at a reasonable deal. It tastes great and comes in 3 sealed vacuum packs so you can cut one off and freeze it right away if needed. One tip with this though is don't put it near vegetables, that seems to cause the vacuum pack to "puff up" and perhaps spoil quicker.
This post is awesome. I’m moving cross country and I was stressing about getting moving supplies. Make sure you have insurance. One of the number one ways to become financially broke is to go without insurance when you need it. Moving even the simplest of households can be expensive. Save yourself a lot of stress and money by planning far in advance of your move.
I wonder if the $3 cost per wear has a breakdown per industry / job function. If I'm a company executive my costs should be different than if I can dress casual on the job.
I disagree with every point you make in this article. My credit union is fantastic (Bayfederal in Santa Cruz).
Customer Service- on most days, better, more personal and more friendly. My bank takes good care of these people, they are making a competitive wage and receiving good benefits. I have seen their job posts.
Stability- Been around for 50 years and federally insured.
Banking Options- Diverse, 1.9% on auto loans, that's very very good.
Ability to Negotiate- There was a great special on one of the big networks, about a furniture manufacturer who inherited the family company and brought it back to the U.S. from China. When he wanted to open the factory in his hometown, he checked with every large institution across the country. He couldn't get financing. Except when he went to his local credit union.
Frankly your piece on big banks is really angering.
I don't ever comment, but Andrea- was just struck by how similar your birth experience was to mine- the C-section, the lack of breast milk, and how all the things I planned for (breastfeeding) didn't happen. Our daughter also liked the pre-mixed formula better, and had tons of gas problems with the other kind. Just wanted you to know you are doing a great job, and don't let people get you down about not being able to breastfeed. I still have people to this day, tell me if I just tried harder and saw more lactation specialists, it would have worked. I tried the fenugreek and metoclopramide you mentioned, without luck-and pumped every two hours. Long story short- You are doing a wonderful job, and this was an excellent article.
OMG, my husband and I are guilty of hoarding #1, #3, #4, #5, #6, #8, #9, #12, #14, #15, #16 and #17! I don't think I'd have a problem getting rid of most of it, but my husband has an anxiety attack whenever I even talk about getting rid of a shirt that he hasn't worn since the 1990s! :)
Yes, it can be done and I'd say even a bit cheaper. Will it be easy? Probably not. It will be easier if you both work as a team.You will need to change the way you normally shop. I rarely go to the store to buy groceries. I go to buy reduced and on sale items. If there is something I need, I will pick it up.We don't go to the same store for everything.
If you are serving steak for a meal, some people think each person should get a slab, as it is packaged. That is more than a serving. Meat is expensive, and should not be the focus of the meal.
I booked a companion fare from Citi ThankYou via Spirit Incentives. The prices we found were the same restricted airfare that we could find directly on the airline websites.
The one deal is that it's not exactly half off. Even the companion ticket is charged the full rate for taxes and fees.
Everyone has a different idea of what is necessary and what is not. Although we've switched to a powdered formula, our baby was definitely happier with the premixed stuff. Not sure why. She didn't have as much gas.
For us, guests come from a long way away and stay for a long time. We don't provide four-star treatment, but everyone deserves a hot shower and access to a washing machine. As I mentioned, guests DO offset the cost of hiring help.
I never said that one should look into health care after a child is born. I said that the prices are shocking. My plan, for instance, is denying all kinds of coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
I'm the new parent of an 8 week old baby who has almost doubled his birth weight, and am surprised by how fast we're going through clothes because he's growing fast, and because he's so long (he outgrew clothes with "feet" faster just by getting longer, not necessarily chubbier). In the same vein, we're going through more formula (planned to BF, didn't happen) than we expected because he's very hungry, and we're often offering him more than he takes because his eating patterns vary so much.
I know a lot of new parents end up spending more money just having to try things out. We got lucky and the inexpensive, glass, Even-Flo bottles work perfectly ($5/3 pack), but I know others have tried all sorts of bottles before they find the right match, and the same with diapers, formula, pacifiers, etc.
I try not to stress out about spending money because you can't ask a baby to make do with formula that gives them gas because it's cheaper, or diapers that give them rashes, and so forth. My advice to other new parents is to save what money you can before the baby shows up, start with minimal a basic items, and get what you need as you go. If your baby is happy with the $5 bottles that's great, but if they need the $20 kind, then go for it. Parents need their sanity, and sanity comes from having a happy, healthy baby.
We had to tap into our savings to pay for the copay/deductible, and I had to remind myself that's exactly what I was saving for.
Oh and don't forget to preauthorize your hospital stay-we forgot and our insurance charged a fee of $250 for me and $250 for the baby. That was an unfortunate $500 mistake, and it didn't even cross our minds at the time of admittance, and no one at the hospital suggested it either.
I agree with Jessica.. There are breast feeding specialists that can help under normal circumstances and it that doesn't work.. find formula that is less expensive (powder works) and only takes moments to make. As for insurance, I don't know of many that don't have an out of pocket limit for the year. As for 'sterilization', a good washing is just fine, no need to go overboard. If my 'guests' aren't there to work, send them home. For the period of time that I was home before I returned to work, I found and used a cloth diaper service. The cost was less than disposable, better for the baby and worth the $$ and time saving as I didn't have the "helping hands" when I got home from the hospital. Babies do cost. You are bringing another person into the world and into your household but it doesn't have to be overwhelming expensive.
Seriously people--grammer issues have NO PLACE on something like this unless it renders the entire post or sentence un-readable or understandable! Get over it!
That said--I make my living by scouring thrift church and yard sales for items to re-sell. My fave places are local re-sale places attached to community organizations that offer their items at rock bottom prices (even for thrift stuff!) and benefit people I know. One venture here supports among other things the summer camp program my grandkids go to. And they raise money for heating oil for people. And donate to fire victims.
I have found vintage items like old jeans that sell for hundreds on line. And I have found items of jewelry that no one bothered to look carefully at--at all kinds of places--that were karat gold or sterling.
If you are going to go into this full or part time KNOW YOUR MARKET and KNOW your BRANDS. Off market or non branded (except vintage) items do NOT sell. Tags or not! Age is important--if it is more than a season old or so depending on type of item--hard to sell. Inspect EVERYTHING. I have learned this the hard way--zippers shred at the bottom; pockets shred and are sometimes hard to fix; buttons are missing and hard to match; hems shred; elastic can get old and lose it's strength--check by stretching--if it crackles and the piece does not go back to it's pre-stretched condition--don't buy it! Make up stains do not come out. Items with monograms do not sell. Make sure you know what the REAL label on high end items looks and feels like-shop at a RETAIL store to get this info--it is research that will pay off. Check for original hems--unless the pants were made to be hemmed this might be well done or a cob job or some really odd size. Make sure you look at things in GOOD LIGHT! Ask to take them outside or carry a pocket flashlight or use the light on your cell. Fading and blotchy--not saleable.
I have sold many pots and pans and if you know your brands you can clean up. But--clean up the merch first! Oven cleaner can take off the worst baked on crap. Missing a lid? Have only the lid? Both can and will sell if they are a good brand. Calphalon Le Crueset Revere Farberware---all sell well. MAKE SURE BASES ARE FLAT!!!! Cast iron is another item that some knowledge can pay off big time. Some older brands or models get big bucks on line.
And--remember--when you sell on line--the BUYER PAYS THE SHIPPNG. Do NOT fall into the trap of offering "Free Shipping"--it is NOT free. Either factor it into your initial sale price --in which case your item WILL be more expensive than the next sellers--or sell the item and then calc the shipping based on the weight BOXED TO SHIP. Don't rely on the ebay ship calc either! Make friends with your postal people--you will find that they can find better ways to ship somethings and you can make this a selling point. We use several different local PO's because some are more rational about some sorts of sales than others.
Be professional and know how to write a good title and description and for the love of Mike do NOT do this on your PHONE. Beg borrow or steal a laptop for this if you must. I dunno how ppl who spend all day texting cannot seem to write a simple description but over and over I see this--and I have a new habit of looking at these poorly done ads and buying them; re-listing properly and selling for sometimes many times what the original price was. Their loss my gain.
My husband and I live on a very picturesque waterfront part of the city, so it is conducive to "portable happy hour". Put a cocktail in a travel mug, a baggie of crackers in one pocket, and a baggie of cheese in the other, and stroll together watching all the cute dogs get their evening walk!
This is not a very uplifting article for me. My wife and I are expecting our son in a few weeks. Though I have thought of these things, I am sure many things will not go as planned (how can you really plan the birth?) and it will cost us. Thanks for passing along some quality information though, it is much appreciated.
Great read!! I definitely want to live a long life. Most of the habits in your article I just started doing so at least I know that I am on the right track.
It is not bad pine nuts that cause the metallic taste - it is all pine nuts. I forget what it is in pine nuts that does this, but it is in their nature to do this!
You mean there are japanese movies' VHS copies out there in the market ? Great. In India, that medium is vanished without any traces.
Another 3 pointers for cheaper grocery shopping:
1. Do NOT go shopping hungry as you'll end up buying more impulse items than normal and those are usually sweet & salty processed items.
2. Do NOT take kids with you to the store as someone else hinted at (the curveball). They want items I mentioned in #1 & a $4 box of cereal for a .50 toy. They'll also try to get you to buy overpriced toys as well even though some supermarkets have little if any selection.
3. Consider Costco for things used often but make sure the price is below most grocery sales prices after coupons. Our Costco has organic, grass fed beef at a reasonable deal. It tastes great and comes in 3 sealed vacuum packs so you can cut one off and freeze it right away if needed. One tip with this though is don't put it near vegetables, that seems to cause the vacuum pack to "puff up" and perhaps spoil quicker.
Noah
This post is awesome. I’m moving cross country and I was stressing about getting moving supplies. Make sure you have insurance. One of the number one ways to become financially broke is to go without insurance when you need it. Moving even the simplest of households can be expensive. Save yourself a lot of stress and money by planning far in advance of your move.
I wonder if the $3 cost per wear has a breakdown per industry / job function. If I'm a company executive my costs should be different than if I can dress casual on the job.
I disagree with every point you make in this article. My credit union is fantastic (Bayfederal in Santa Cruz).
Customer Service- on most days, better, more personal and more friendly. My bank takes good care of these people, they are making a competitive wage and receiving good benefits. I have seen their job posts.
Stability- Been around for 50 years and federally insured.
Banking Options- Diverse, 1.9% on auto loans, that's very very good.
Ability to Negotiate- There was a great special on one of the big networks, about a furniture manufacturer who inherited the family company and brought it back to the U.S. from China. When he wanted to open the factory in his hometown, he checked with every large institution across the country. He couldn't get financing. Except when he went to his local credit union.
Frankly your piece on big banks is really angering.
I don't ever comment, but Andrea- was just struck by how similar your birth experience was to mine- the C-section, the lack of breast milk, and how all the things I planned for (breastfeeding) didn't happen. Our daughter also liked the pre-mixed formula better, and had tons of gas problems with the other kind. Just wanted you to know you are doing a great job, and don't let people get you down about not being able to breastfeed. I still have people to this day, tell me if I just tried harder and saw more lactation specialists, it would have worked. I tried the fenugreek and metoclopramide you mentioned, without luck-and pumped every two hours. Long story short- You are doing a wonderful job, and this was an excellent article.
OMG, my husband and I are guilty of hoarding #1, #3, #4, #5, #6, #8, #9, #12, #14, #15, #16 and #17! I don't think I'd have a problem getting rid of most of it, but my husband has an anxiety attack whenever I even talk about getting rid of a shirt that he hasn't worn since the 1990s! :)
Hey quick fact check note from me,
I am not the owner of Voice123.
I work as a community manager, and have been with the company since 2007 holding several positions.
Thank though, LOL!!!
Steven
Yes, it can be done and I'd say even a bit cheaper. Will it be easy? Probably not. It will be easier if you both work as a team.You will need to change the way you normally shop. I rarely go to the store to buy groceries. I go to buy reduced and on sale items. If there is something I need, I will pick it up.We don't go to the same store for everything.
If you are serving steak for a meal, some people think each person should get a slab, as it is packaged. That is more than a serving. Meat is expensive, and should not be the focus of the meal.
Thank you for the tips and ideas!
Don't mean to depress you! I'm sure you can find a way to save money on these costs - they might not even be the same for you at all!
You can pack anything in a sack. Use a frozen drink as your ice pack. By lunch time, the drink will be ready to drink, and your food kept cold.
I booked a companion fare from Citi ThankYou via Spirit Incentives. The prices we found were the same restricted airfare that we could find directly on the airline websites.
The one deal is that it's not exactly half off. Even the companion ticket is charged the full rate for taxes and fees.
Everyone has a different idea of what is necessary and what is not. Although we've switched to a powdered formula, our baby was definitely happier with the premixed stuff. Not sure why. She didn't have as much gas.
For us, guests come from a long way away and stay for a long time. We don't provide four-star treatment, but everyone deserves a hot shower and access to a washing machine. As I mentioned, guests DO offset the cost of hiring help.
I never said that one should look into health care after a child is born. I said that the prices are shocking. My plan, for instance, is denying all kinds of coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
I'm the new parent of an 8 week old baby who has almost doubled his birth weight, and am surprised by how fast we're going through clothes because he's growing fast, and because he's so long (he outgrew clothes with "feet" faster just by getting longer, not necessarily chubbier). In the same vein, we're going through more formula (planned to BF, didn't happen) than we expected because he's very hungry, and we're often offering him more than he takes because his eating patterns vary so much.
I know a lot of new parents end up spending more money just having to try things out. We got lucky and the inexpensive, glass, Even-Flo bottles work perfectly ($5/3 pack), but I know others have tried all sorts of bottles before they find the right match, and the same with diapers, formula, pacifiers, etc.
I try not to stress out about spending money because you can't ask a baby to make do with formula that gives them gas because it's cheaper, or diapers that give them rashes, and so forth. My advice to other new parents is to save what money you can before the baby shows up, start with minimal a basic items, and get what you need as you go. If your baby is happy with the $5 bottles that's great, but if they need the $20 kind, then go for it. Parents need their sanity, and sanity comes from having a happy, healthy baby.
We had to tap into our savings to pay for the copay/deductible, and I had to remind myself that's exactly what I was saving for.
Oh and don't forget to preauthorize your hospital stay-we forgot and our insurance charged a fee of $250 for me and $250 for the baby. That was an unfortunate $500 mistake, and it didn't even cross our minds at the time of admittance, and no one at the hospital suggested it either.
I agree with Jessica.. There are breast feeding specialists that can help under normal circumstances and it that doesn't work.. find formula that is less expensive (powder works) and only takes moments to make. As for insurance, I don't know of many that don't have an out of pocket limit for the year. As for 'sterilization', a good washing is just fine, no need to go overboard. If my 'guests' aren't there to work, send them home. For the period of time that I was home before I returned to work, I found and used a cloth diaper service. The cost was less than disposable, better for the baby and worth the $$ and time saving as I didn't have the "helping hands" when I got home from the hospital. Babies do cost. You are bringing another person into the world and into your household but it doesn't have to be overwhelming expensive.
I am always interested in arts and crafts items for my imaginative grandchildren.
Who would have thought so many people live in the middle of Montana?
Seriously people--grammer issues have NO PLACE on something like this unless it renders the entire post or sentence un-readable or understandable! Get over it!
That said--I make my living by scouring thrift church and yard sales for items to re-sell. My fave places are local re-sale places attached to community organizations that offer their items at rock bottom prices (even for thrift stuff!) and benefit people I know. One venture here supports among other things the summer camp program my grandkids go to. And they raise money for heating oil for people. And donate to fire victims.
I have found vintage items like old jeans that sell for hundreds on line. And I have found items of jewelry that no one bothered to look carefully at--at all kinds of places--that were karat gold or sterling.
If you are going to go into this full or part time KNOW YOUR MARKET and KNOW your BRANDS. Off market or non branded (except vintage) items do NOT sell. Tags or not! Age is important--if it is more than a season old or so depending on type of item--hard to sell. Inspect EVERYTHING. I have learned this the hard way--zippers shred at the bottom; pockets shred and are sometimes hard to fix; buttons are missing and hard to match; hems shred; elastic can get old and lose it's strength--check by stretching--if it crackles and the piece does not go back to it's pre-stretched condition--don't buy it! Make up stains do not come out. Items with monograms do not sell. Make sure you know what the REAL label on high end items looks and feels like-shop at a RETAIL store to get this info--it is research that will pay off. Check for original hems--unless the pants were made to be hemmed this might be well done or a cob job or some really odd size. Make sure you look at things in GOOD LIGHT! Ask to take them outside or carry a pocket flashlight or use the light on your cell. Fading and blotchy--not saleable.
I have sold many pots and pans and if you know your brands you can clean up. But--clean up the merch first! Oven cleaner can take off the worst baked on crap. Missing a lid? Have only the lid? Both can and will sell if they are a good brand. Calphalon Le Crueset Revere Farberware---all sell well. MAKE SURE BASES ARE FLAT!!!! Cast iron is another item that some knowledge can pay off big time. Some older brands or models get big bucks on line.
And--remember--when you sell on line--the BUYER PAYS THE SHIPPNG. Do NOT fall into the trap of offering "Free Shipping"--it is NOT free. Either factor it into your initial sale price --in which case your item WILL be more expensive than the next sellers--or sell the item and then calc the shipping based on the weight BOXED TO SHIP. Don't rely on the ebay ship calc either! Make friends with your postal people--you will find that they can find better ways to ship somethings and you can make this a selling point. We use several different local PO's because some are more rational about some sorts of sales than others.
Be professional and know how to write a good title and description and for the love of Mike do NOT do this on your PHONE. Beg borrow or steal a laptop for this if you must. I dunno how ppl who spend all day texting cannot seem to write a simple description but over and over I see this--and I have a new habit of looking at these poorly done ads and buying them; re-listing properly and selling for sometimes many times what the original price was. Their loss my gain.
My husband and I live on a very picturesque waterfront part of the city, so it is conducive to "portable happy hour". Put a cocktail in a travel mug, a baggie of crackers in one pocket, and a baggie of cheese in the other, and stroll together watching all the cute dogs get their evening walk!
#1, 2, and 10 make me SO GLAD I'm Canadian...
I love the deals
This is not a very uplifting article for me. My wife and I are expecting our son in a few weeks. Though I have thought of these things, I am sure many things will not go as planned (how can you really plan the birth?) and it will cost us. Thanks for passing along some quality information though, it is much appreciated.
Great read!! I definitely want to live a long life. Most of the habits in your article I just started doing so at least I know that I am on the right track.