Recent comments

  • 5 Kitchen Luxuries That Are Worth It (and 5 That Aren't)   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Great topic!

    It's interesting to me that a microwave and slow cooker would be two items on my top 5 list, but they didn't make your list. You're a superwoman if you can live without a microwave! :)

    I'm with you on the chef's knife -- one good chef's knife and you're all set. I find my blender pretty handy too.

    My absolute favorite kitchen appliance, however, is a non-essential espresso maker. Mmm, love that espresso.

  • SaveUp Giving Away $1000 to Wise Bread Readers   14 years 24 weeks ago

    I am always trying to save money. Right now my motivation is the need for new furniture.

  • What Is Your Net Worth?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    I agree. I see it as a personal marker of progress. I wouldn't recommend that anyone compare their net worth to that of other people - that's where things can get unproductive:-)

  • What Is Your Net Worth?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Thanks for the suggestion. I'm always happy to let a spreadsheet or calculator do the math for me:-)

  • Why Women Don't Negotiate   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Wow, that is totally crazy! I doubt very much that you were the first to have an offer revoked, but it's completely galling either way, isn't it?

  • What Is Your Net Worth?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    It is over 20-25 years, but not 3-5 years.

  • Why Women Don't Negotiate   14 years 24 weeks ago

    I agree with this but also have to caution. Despite loads of articles saying this won't happen I had a job offer revoked for asking for a very small increase in starting salary. I have successfully negotiated salaries in the past. However a job offer I received in August from a division of a major media company ended in disaster. I used my usual strategy said I was excited about the job offer but had hoped the salary would be a bit higher. I asked for an extra 3% that would bring the salary up to what I was led to believe was what I would be offered. I didn't decline just asked. I was thinking if I couldn't get this maybe there was some room for more vacation time or some other concession. Note the salary I was expecting/asked for was a 30% pay cut from my previous salary and a 50% cut in benefits overall from my previous position. I was willing to accept this since I had been self employed in a different industry for two years. The HR rep said she would see and called back two days later saying they were revoking the offer! I have researched this excessively and believe I may be the first person to ever have a job offer revoked for attempting a modest negotiation? I was devastated but am glad not to be working at a company that would revoke a candidates offer over a small negotiation.

  • How to Make Moonshine   14 years 24 weeks ago

    This is great information. I recently found a site that sold dvd's on how you could make your own moonshine at home. http://www.moonshinedvd.com.

  • What Is Your Net Worth?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    At this point, I'm just happy my net worth is positive -- I'm not 100% convinced that owning property by buying a house is the best way to increase my net worth.

  • What Is Your Net Worth?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Thanks for breaking it down. It's a good number to keep in mind, but not an "end-all-be-all" of success measurement.

  • 5 Kitchen Luxuries That Are Worth It (and 5 That Aren't)   14 years 24 weeks ago

    A lot depends on life stage. As a mom to two disabled little boys, I absolutely love my dishwasher and microwave. When you spend 40 - 50 hours a week running to various therapies, being able to cook up all the meals on Sunday and then reheat on the weeknights is a godsend. I also bought two sets of brand new storage containers ($5/set) at IKEA, and having all the lids for the storage containers, and having it all fit together in one cabinet, is wonderful (and makes storing all those pre-cooked meals and fixing lunches for school much easier). For one person on their own, these are probably unnecessary luxuries. And obviously, families get by without any of these things (my parents STILL don't have a dishwasher!). But, in my stage of life, they make it much, much easier to get healthy, inexpensive meals on the table in front of my family.

  • How to Save Money on College Applications   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Great tip -- thanks for mentioning this idea.

  • How to Save Money on College Applications   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Thanks for your insights. My son agrees with you! He thinks it's best to wait and see what the scores are, and then submit the scores. As the mom footing the bill, though,
    I hated to pay $10 extra per school for a free service and even though I never paid a rush fee ($30), I imagine that many parents have.

    The admissions folks I heard from said to submit all scores and they'd consider the highest scores out of all the various tests taken as these would represent the student's potential. My thoughts were that students would probably be accepted at schools where their class rank, academic performance, and test scores lined up with admissions guidelines. But I can see that low scores (however that may be defined, and would vary from student to student and school to school) could influence admissions decision-makers in a negative way.

  • What Is Your Net Worth?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Here's a handy little spreadsheet to calculate your net worth and track it overtime.
    http://www.spreadsheetshoppe.com/personal-balance-sheet.html

  • Best Money Tips: Free Ways to Prep Your Home for Disaster   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Thanks for including our Men's Fashion Article. I'm glad you liked it.

  • Ask the Readers: How Do You Travel Frugally?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    We do our research way in advance so we know how much the total trip will cost us, then save every penny of it before we leave home. That way we aren't tempted to rack up debt on credit cards! We also rent homes that have full kitchens where we can prepare all of our own meals and just go out for one nice dinner. Airbnb.com is a great resource for home rentals. And we takes lots of pictures and collect things that are free - like shells, for instance - as our souvenirs instead of buying things.

  • Lifestyle Upgrades: Beware the Diderot Effect   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Every now and then I read a post that is full of wisdom. This is one of them. Thank you so very much.

  • How to Travel Full-Time for $17,000 a Year (or Less!)   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Do you ever worry about personal safety when traveling?

  • How to Travel Full-Time for $17,000 a Year (or Less!)   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Wow, this is a great article, quite a few of these are useful for students who want to taste backpacking or travelling for cheap.

  • Should You Talk to Friends About Money?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    It really depends on the friend. I discuss money with my close friends (which is easier because we're all in roughly the same financial situations) but not really anyone outside of that.

  • What Is Your Net Worth?   14 years 24 weeks ago

    I have a net worth of $1 million at age 34...We just hit this milestone earlier this year. This include the market value of my primary home, cars, retirement accounts, and cash coupled with the mortgages, student loans, car loans, etc. I post my net worth details on my site...

  • Clutter-Free: The Zero-Accumulation Household   14 years 24 weeks ago

    We follow the One In One Out rule with our kids's toy box, stating that whenever they buy a new toy, they have to donate an old one out. This is to teach them about sharing things.

  • 24 Tips for Having a Baby Without Going Broke   14 years 24 weeks ago

    I so agree with #13, just because it is labelled "for baby" then things tend to cost much more than the regular item...

  • Lifestyle Upgrades: Beware the Diderot Effect   14 years 24 weeks ago

    Great advice - I find this happens to me whenever I buy new clothes.

  • The Top 10 Cheapest Cars to Insure   14 years 24 weeks ago

    I was really surprised to Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport on the cheapest cars to insure list, i assumed it would be really expensive.