I save on toys buy making them myself. At first like any new parent I spoiled my son with alot of toys but I saw that he would lose interest in them very easily. So I decided to start making household items into toys. My son enjoys playing with household items that have been made into toys. You have to see all the things you can just do with Cardboard boxes.
I have 2 netspend accounts (mc & visa) & have for many years and found them very useful and a very secure way to make transactions and am very pleased with the excellent service provided for a rather small fee. You load only the $ you want to use & the transaction is instant and completely isolated from your other accounts. The card can't be activated without verifiable info to prove your idendity and is a very secure and instant way to transact $ online & via wire transfer without involving your larger & more vulnerable accounts. The website is very intuitive & user friendly and makes it quite simple to use the card for a variety of services whenever you dont want to provide access to your bank accounts or lines of credit & well worth the small fees involed. I am a very pleased long term netspend customer.
i cut old and too short jeans into shorts for the summer. i purchase clothes 1-2 sizes too big for growing room. i cut baby wipes in half. i also shop at second hand stores.
My wife and I budget relentlessly, and until recently, we didn't have any personal allowance. If one of us wanted to go out to eat for lunch at work, we would have to apply that towards our 'eating out' budget, and the other person missed out.
Recently, however, we allowed ourselves a bit of spending money because we made the last payment on our mortgage. Just a few bucks a month, but it sure is nice to not feel bad about downloading a new video game on Steam and having to apply its full cost against our joint entertainment budget, especially knowing that she will never play it herself.
It is now 2012 and they are still sending out these cards. I received one in the mail today except it is a Master Card but still from the same company Netspend. I tried to call them to let them Know I didn't request this card and they will not talk to you unless you activate it. DON'T FALL FOR IT.
It may take a few minutes and a few dollars investment in the spices (certainly cheaper if you buy them at an ethnic store), but definitely make your own garam masala. The recipe Meg listed is only one of many variations, but purchased garam masala falls far short of a mix made of spices you've dry-roasted yourself. Another way to use it is to sprinkle a little in raita (Indian cucumber-carrot-yogurt dip) to deepen the flavors. Just don't add too much or you'll lose the cucumber flavor!
I work for a great company (GreenAppleSupply.com) that gives me an hour for lunch, so when I'm stressed or can't focus I use half my lunch to go on a walk! By the time I'm done I feel more awake and ready to check things off my to-do list!
Amen to you too.When my baby girl was born (alike many parents) we started giving her Similac.OMG,she would suffer from colic,constipation and when she would go number 2 it was more like number 3.Then one day we were doing some shopping at Babies R Us and I noticed all their different formulas not mention size and price.Didn't think twice about it made the switch and loved it.Most important of all my baby loves it.She poos better,no more gas and no more colic.Have to admit,kinda made the switch first THEN told our pediatrician but of course he read the label himself (took him a can to check) and he approved.So absolutely there's no reason NOT to buy store brand formula.
For my own child and others, 90% of the time, I buy them books. For $20 I can buy a mediocre toy that will end up lost or broken, or I can buy 4-5 books that are more likely to be read and treasured. Books are a cheaper gift that most families value over toys.
I agree! I started working out in the mornings instead of evenings and I've noticed that my workouts are better and I feel more relaxed and energetic during the day.
It really stinks that amusement parks, water parks, museums, zoos and aquariums cost so much! But what a great idea to hone in on a special interest of one of your kids and take the entire class for a special day for that person. Not only will they all probably enjoy the day together, the others will look forward to when its their turn. There are a lot of museums that operate on very low admission fees, especially for kids- military museums can be some of the most interesting and are always looking for money to help support the preservation of the armed forces!
I'm curious how many hours of sleep is required for early morning risers. Can you train your body to require less sleep in order to fit more activities in? For example, if I'm correct that my body needs 8 hours of sleep, in order for me to wake up at 6am, I would have to go to bed at 10pm...which seems daunting to me since I sometimes don't get home till 10pm. But hey, maybe the 3 hours I stay up past 10pm to get things done during would be a more productive time period in the morning?
My job can be very stressful. I try to remember, though, that in the grand scheme of things, little day to day work problems don't really matter. I also watch a lot of documentaries and read about the universe. Learning about our large galaxy and expansive universe helps me realize how insignificant my problems really are.
I am definitely NOT a morning person, but a recent job switch has made me realize the benefits of getting up earlier. My previous job was 8-5, pretty normal for most people; I had a bit of a commute so I was rarely home before 6pm. The new job is 7-4 and closer to home, so I'm usually home by 4:30. While I'm not thrilled about getting up at 5:30 in the morning, the extra time I gained in the afternoon/evening as a result of this job change has been wonderful. Not only am I home earlier, but I get a LOT more done each day. Whether it's errands, housework or just additional time with the family, I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to an 8-5 job again :)
Score! I love to cook, but haven't really done much with Indian spices until recently. I have some garam masala that I purchased for a recipe and had no idea what else I could do with the spice. I'm really excited to try the Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and the basmati rice recipes. Thanks for putting together such a good collection of recipes to use this spice in.
I know it's been many years since this discussion was started, but I too struggled with the idea that Mortgages are front-loaded and only recently figured out why that is.
It's true that you pay more interest in the beginning because you owe more money.
What no one talks about is that basically, to make homes affordable, the payments are set too low at the minimum. The monthly payment remains the same each month although the interest payment is always proportional to the outstanding balance. And that is why it takes forever to pay off a mortgage and why you end up paying ridiculous amounts of interest for it over the amortization period.
Basically, they structure the mortgage to be affordable to home owners and easy to pay with regular, predictable monthly payments. The side effect is that because you're not paying a proportional amount of principal, you end up giving the lender many, many years of your payments as mostly interest...
If you want to avoid this you basically need to either 1) Not get a mortgage and if you can, get an equity line of credit. The interest-only loan allows you to pay back as much principal as you like, anytime that you like with no penalties. But you need to be good with money or you'll keep borrowing your equity and never paying your loan off.
or 2) Make sure that you get a mortgage that allows for either doubling up of payments - some mortgages let you make two payments a month and the second payment will be all principal. Other mortgages also allow of 'lump sums' which give you once-a-year or more often chances to put extra money down against your principal, which will ultimately reduce the total amount of interest you pay.
or 3) when you refinance, you can ask to set your payments higher.
If you can somehow do a bit of all three - higher monthly payments, putting down lump sums and double payments when you can afford it, you'll pay off the house a lot quicker and pay much less interest.
Of course, there is the argument that Mortgages are so low interest in the first place, you'd be better off making minimum payments and using your extra money to do other things with it - like buying a rental property or investing in something more lucrative than a slumped real estate market...
I was a night person for the past 5 years. I'd be up all night and go to bed when the sun has risen. But my kids' recent activities forced me to reset my body clock. For the past few weeks, I'm back into being a morning person. I'd be up at around 5am and go to bed at around midnight. It's been a while since I've seen mornings and I can say that it's really quite refreshing. Although I miss being a night person sometimes, I kind of feel lighter being a morning person.
Am I the only one who didn't like how these turned out??? I found these on Pinterest and made them last night because I had some ripe bananas. I followed the recipe exactly and they came out like rubber. It was gross.
Hi,
It's true that mint makes reflux worse, but it doesn't increase stomach acid, it causes the esophageal sphincter to relax which allows acid to sneak up. The sphincter responds to acid levels, so LOW acid is actually the problem rather than high acid. Avoiding acidic foods and taking ant-acids are only short-term measures. Increasing stomach acid seems to help some people.
Also the "traffic jam" further down the digestive system needs to be cleared - consult a naturopath for dietary recommendations and also a Visceral Manipulation practitioner (such as an osteopath, Certified Rolfer, or chiropractor who have taken special advanced training to work with organs). Manual therapy on the organs can help normalize function and reduce strain.
I've had great luck finding Groupons and other vouchers for local toy stores.
I save on toys buy making them myself. At first like any new parent I spoiled my son with alot of toys but I saw that he would lose interest in them very easily. So I decided to start making household items into toys. My son enjoys playing with household items that have been made into toys. You have to see all the things you can just do with Cardboard boxes.
A woman on top of her finances...very sexy. Will you marry me?
I have 2 netspend accounts (mc & visa) & have for many years and found them very useful and a very secure way to make transactions and am very pleased with the excellent service provided for a rather small fee. You load only the $ you want to use & the transaction is instant and completely isolated from your other accounts. The card can't be activated without verifiable info to prove your idendity and is a very secure and instant way to transact $ online & via wire transfer without involving your larger & more vulnerable accounts. The website is very intuitive & user friendly and makes it quite simple to use the card for a variety of services whenever you dont want to provide access to your bank accounts or lines of credit & well worth the small fees involed. I am a very pleased long term netspend customer.
i cut old and too short jeans into shorts for the summer. i purchase clothes 1-2 sizes too big for growing room. i cut baby wipes in half. i also shop at second hand stores.
My wife and I budget relentlessly, and until recently, we didn't have any personal allowance. If one of us wanted to go out to eat for lunch at work, we would have to apply that towards our 'eating out' budget, and the other person missed out.
Recently, however, we allowed ourselves a bit of spending money because we made the last payment on our mortgage. Just a few bucks a month, but it sure is nice to not feel bad about downloading a new video game on Steam and having to apply its full cost against our joint entertainment budget, especially knowing that she will never play it herself.
People are always getting rid of toys on Freecycle. For the price of gas to pick it up you can't beat free. But garage sales are great too.
It is now 2012 and they are still sending out these cards. I received one in the mail today except it is a Master Card but still from the same company Netspend. I tried to call them to let them Know I didn't request this card and they will not talk to you unless you activate it. DON'T FALL FOR IT.
Thanks so much for the mention!
It may take a few minutes and a few dollars investment in the spices (certainly cheaper if you buy them at an ethnic store), but definitely make your own garam masala. The recipe Meg listed is only one of many variations, but purchased garam masala falls far short of a mix made of spices you've dry-roasted yourself. Another way to use it is to sprinkle a little in raita (Indian cucumber-carrot-yogurt dip) to deepen the flavors. Just don't add too much or you'll lose the cucumber flavor!
Since garam masala is a spice mix, you can also make your own. This one at Epicurious is highly rated: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Garam-Masala-240907
Have you always only needed 5 hours of sleep? What was your sleep schedule like as a night person?
I work for a great company (GreenAppleSupply.com) that gives me an hour for lunch, so when I'm stressed or can't focus I use half my lunch to go on a walk! By the time I'm done I feel more awake and ready to check things off my to-do list!
Amen to you too.When my baby girl was born (alike many parents) we started giving her Similac.OMG,she would suffer from colic,constipation and when she would go number 2 it was more like number 3.Then one day we were doing some shopping at Babies R Us and I noticed all their different formulas not mention size and price.Didn't think twice about it made the switch and loved it.Most important of all my baby loves it.She poos better,no more gas and no more colic.Have to admit,kinda made the switch first THEN told our pediatrician but of course he read the label himself (took him a can to check) and he approved.So absolutely there's no reason NOT to buy store brand formula.
For my own child and others, 90% of the time, I buy them books. For $20 I can buy a mediocre toy that will end up lost or broken, or I can buy 4-5 books that are more likely to be read and treasured. Books are a cheaper gift that most families value over toys.
I agree! I started working out in the mornings instead of evenings and I've noticed that my workouts are better and I feel more relaxed and energetic during the day.
It really stinks that amusement parks, water parks, museums, zoos and aquariums cost so much! But what a great idea to hone in on a special interest of one of your kids and take the entire class for a special day for that person. Not only will they all probably enjoy the day together, the others will look forward to when its their turn. There are a lot of museums that operate on very low admission fees, especially for kids- military museums can be some of the most interesting and are always looking for money to help support the preservation of the armed forces!
I'm curious how many hours of sleep is required for early morning risers. Can you train your body to require less sleep in order to fit more activities in? For example, if I'm correct that my body needs 8 hours of sleep, in order for me to wake up at 6am, I would have to go to bed at 10pm...which seems daunting to me since I sometimes don't get home till 10pm. But hey, maybe the 3 hours I stay up past 10pm to get things done during would be a more productive time period in the morning?
My job can be very stressful. I try to remember, though, that in the grand scheme of things, little day to day work problems don't really matter. I also watch a lot of documentaries and read about the universe. Learning about our large galaxy and expansive universe helps me realize how insignificant my problems really are.
I am definitely NOT a morning person, but a recent job switch has made me realize the benefits of getting up earlier. My previous job was 8-5, pretty normal for most people; I had a bit of a commute so I was rarely home before 6pm. The new job is 7-4 and closer to home, so I'm usually home by 4:30. While I'm not thrilled about getting up at 5:30 in the morning, the extra time I gained in the afternoon/evening as a result of this job change has been wonderful. Not only am I home earlier, but I get a LOT more done each day. Whether it's errands, housework or just additional time with the family, I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to an 8-5 job again :)
Score! I love to cook, but haven't really done much with Indian spices until recently. I have some garam masala that I purchased for a recipe and had no idea what else I could do with the spice. I'm really excited to try the Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and the basmati rice recipes. Thanks for putting together such a good collection of recipes to use this spice in.
I know it's been many years since this discussion was started, but I too struggled with the idea that Mortgages are front-loaded and only recently figured out why that is.
It's true that you pay more interest in the beginning because you owe more money.
What no one talks about is that basically, to make homes affordable, the payments are set too low at the minimum. The monthly payment remains the same each month although the interest payment is always proportional to the outstanding balance. And that is why it takes forever to pay off a mortgage and why you end up paying ridiculous amounts of interest for it over the amortization period.
Basically, they structure the mortgage to be affordable to home owners and easy to pay with regular, predictable monthly payments. The side effect is that because you're not paying a proportional amount of principal, you end up giving the lender many, many years of your payments as mostly interest...
If you want to avoid this you basically need to either 1) Not get a mortgage and if you can, get an equity line of credit. The interest-only loan allows you to pay back as much principal as you like, anytime that you like with no penalties. But you need to be good with money or you'll keep borrowing your equity and never paying your loan off.
or 2) Make sure that you get a mortgage that allows for either doubling up of payments - some mortgages let you make two payments a month and the second payment will be all principal. Other mortgages also allow of 'lump sums' which give you once-a-year or more often chances to put extra money down against your principal, which will ultimately reduce the total amount of interest you pay.
or 3) when you refinance, you can ask to set your payments higher.
If you can somehow do a bit of all three - higher monthly payments, putting down lump sums and double payments when you can afford it, you'll pay off the house a lot quicker and pay much less interest.
Of course, there is the argument that Mortgages are so low interest in the first place, you'd be better off making minimum payments and using your extra money to do other things with it - like buying a rental property or investing in something more lucrative than a slumped real estate market...
I was a night person for the past 5 years. I'd be up all night and go to bed when the sun has risen. But my kids' recent activities forced me to reset my body clock. For the past few weeks, I'm back into being a morning person. I'd be up at around 5am and go to bed at around midnight. It's been a while since I've seen mornings and I can say that it's really quite refreshing. Although I miss being a night person sometimes, I kind of feel lighter being a morning person.
Am I the only one who didn't like how these turned out??? I found these on Pinterest and made them last night because I had some ripe bananas. I followed the recipe exactly and they came out like rubber. It was gross.
Hi,
It's true that mint makes reflux worse, but it doesn't increase stomach acid, it causes the esophageal sphincter to relax which allows acid to sneak up. The sphincter responds to acid levels, so LOW acid is actually the problem rather than high acid. Avoiding acidic foods and taking ant-acids are only short-term measures. Increasing stomach acid seems to help some people.
Also the "traffic jam" further down the digestive system needs to be cleared - consult a naturopath for dietary recommendations and also a Visceral Manipulation practitioner (such as an osteopath, Certified Rolfer, or chiropractor who have taken special advanced training to work with organs). Manual therapy on the organs can help normalize function and reduce strain.