Roommates are also good for showing you new ways to do things. Half my recipes have come from roommates, plus I learned about the wonders of the rubber spatula and having scissors in the kitchen from roommates. I've learned about basically all my favorite bands from roommates. And they've shared good books and movies and exercise moves and party themes and who knows what else.
Admittedly I've been very lucky and never had an evil or negligent roommate (except when they were in plays--then they were negligent about house cleaning). And duh, note to self, opera majors are in plays--that's what operas are.
Getting married will maintain some of the advantages, but I'll have to do more of my learning elsewhere.
Yes, I shared a Wise Bread opportunity on Facebook not too long ago. And you mentioned a key in networking -- sharing with people when it can help someone else, not just yourself.
Watch our for roommates with pets that will pretty much neglect them altogether and always be asking you to take them out, feed them, watch them, etc. On the flip side, don't take advantage of your roommates by assuming they will love to do all these things all the time - Don't forget to say thanks!
I used to be content with slower connections at home because, well, it was still faster than the old modem days, right? But now that work at home, with all of said work on the Internet...there's no going back. (With that said, I'm actually okay if the speed decreases during my non-work hours as the rest of my family gets home and starts watching videos on their own computers. I just remind myself that I've been on the computer for 8 hours that day. And then I grab a book.)
Great mention Meg. People often need professionals in their own field and similar ones to refer folks to (either b/c they don't have time to service the business or the client isn't a good fit with their business) so looking to get referrals from colleagues + competitors is a great idea.
Thanks -- those wouldn't have been the first people I would think of either. But several years ago, my insurance agent referred someone to me for my business -- I hadn't even asked but he made the connection.
My last roomie totally saved me when I broke my foot walking down the stairs at 6:30am. She found my lying in the middle of the kitchen floor crying and insisted on taking me to the hospital. Good thing too, because it turned out to be a nasty break. While I was on the mend she drove me to work in my car (which is next to the metro that she'd then take to work), walked my dog for me and performed tons of little things like carrying my dinner plate to the table for me - which is amazingly hard to do on crutches.
My current roomie hasn't had to save ME from any total disasters yet, but I often tell him when he absolutely needs to go to the doctor and to refrigerate items that say "Refigerate After Opening" on them. So, I've probably saved his life several times by now. And he walks the dog for me if I'm running late or stuck somewhere.
The extra income is great (I own the condo and rent out the room) but I think I'd really miss not having another person around.
All of these are really great networks! I'm not looking for a job right now, but some of my friends are, so I'm always keeping an eye out for job opportunities. I especially like online contacts, mostly because it's so easy to post a job opportunity on Facebook/Twitter and spread the word by simply sharing/retweeting the post.
I called my credit card companies to see if they would cancel my cards due to inactivity and they told me “YES”. Since I haven’t used my cards since March 2010 I went out and bought about $10.00 worth of home supplies and reset the timer. Between the two cards I have a $15,000.00 line of credit and owe nothing. I would hate to lose that debt to credit ratio.
I still do indeed visit the theater. Though primarily for the popcorn (which is terrible for me and outrageously priced) and for movies that require a larger viewing environment. My home theater is nice, but I still cannot duplicate the Theater Bang.
Besides, I need to take my wife out on dates too. It is good for us to get out of the house on occasion.
I know I'm REALLY late into this conversation, but the bring-home point to this whole article, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that Horizon is being advertised as milk which is produced from grass-fed animals.
That. Is. Pure. Bull.
If they were actually grass-fed animals, we wouldn't have to worry about any of the other stuff except the pesticides, and for those you can thank Monsanto because they're everywhere and no one can stop the air from carrying the residue from pesticides.
There is no such thing as organic anything anymore. It's all been bastardized by Monsanto, et al.
It's odd that I make a comment on a post like that, but how refreshing! While I like not seeing anyone if I want, until recently, I had a basement apartment That I let a person in need use for free.
I'm not a landlord type, but as you say there are benefits.
Thanks for writing, Marianne. It's always encouraging to hear stories of people who did the work and got to a better place. It was my experience - and I try to tell others - that if you can make forward progress every month, eventually you'll get out of debt. It took me four and a half years, and there were plenty of times along the way when I felt discouraged. But I just kept plugging away. And there was something about the time it took to get out of debt that I think has been helpful in staying out of debt ever since.
One other benefit to asking for accountability is that by coming clean about your financial situation, that can create the space for the other person to come clean with you. Chances are, there's some way you can be helpful to that person. Becoming each others' accountability and encouragement partners is a great win-win.
The key is whether or not you've been paying your bills on time and aren't using too much of your available credit. If there are evident issues on your account, then asking for a lower rate may, in fact, not work to your favor. You'd be calling attention to yourself. But if you've been using credit responsibly, it's worth asking for a lower rate.
You've hit the nail on the head for me. I hate my microwave - why does it beep every time I hit a number? I've returned to a kettle to heat water to get away from this noise. Leaf blowers? Don't get me started. I refuse to use one of those because of the noise. It may take me longer and I don't get every single leaf, but so what? And I absolutely cannot stand Wal-Mart because I can't handle the constant, loud beeping of their register scanners. Please, just give me some quiet.
Yes, I usually see movies in the theater because it's usually either a guy paying for it or I get free passes from a website. If I were having to pay, I wouldn't go; tickets are almost the cost of just buying the DVD.
I take out a lot of credit cards each year. Each time an amazing offer comes around for cash or points I go for it. After awhile it's a lot of work to remember which cards have earned the bonus etc. Once I do what I'm supposed to for the bonus I usually wait about 6 months and then close the account. I don't want to have a bunch of accounts open that I dont use. Also i want to be able to possibly take that card out again in the future and get the incentive and I can't if I already have the card. I keep getting approved for new cards so I dont know if it's really hurting my credit or not. I had excellent credit in the past, not sure what it looks like recently though.
Roommates are also good for showing you new ways to do things. Half my recipes have come from roommates, plus I learned about the wonders of the rubber spatula and having scissors in the kitchen from roommates. I've learned about basically all my favorite bands from roommates. And they've shared good books and movies and exercise moves and party themes and who knows what else.
Admittedly I've been very lucky and never had an evil or negligent roommate (except when they were in plays--then they were negligent about house cleaning). And duh, note to self, opera majors are in plays--that's what operas are.
Getting married will maintain some of the advantages, but I'll have to do more of my learning elsewhere.
Yes, I shared a Wise Bread opportunity on Facebook not too long ago. And you mentioned a key in networking -- sharing with people when it can help someone else, not just yourself.
Thanks for sharing with us (and on Facebook!) how you have benefited from these contacts -- great examples.
Glad those are great connections for you, and as you mention, you can network with those who are not in your same field.
Watch our for roommates with pets that will pretty much neglect them altogether and always be asking you to take them out, feed them, watch them, etc. On the flip side, don't take advantage of your roommates by assuming they will love to do all these things all the time - Don't forget to say thanks!
I used to be content with slower connections at home because, well, it was still faster than the old modem days, right? But now that work at home, with all of said work on the Internet...there's no going back. (With that said, I'm actually okay if the speed decreases during my non-work hours as the rest of my family gets home and starts watching videos on their own computers. I just remind myself that I've been on the computer for 8 hours that day. And then I grab a book.)
Great mention Meg. People often need professionals in their own field and similar ones to refer folks to (either b/c they don't have time to service the business or the client isn't a good fit with their business) so looking to get referrals from colleagues + competitors is a great idea.
Thanks -- those wouldn't have been the first people I would think of either. But several years ago, my insurance agent referred someone to me for my business -- I hadn't even asked but he made the connection.
My last roomie totally saved me when I broke my foot walking down the stairs at 6:30am. She found my lying in the middle of the kitchen floor crying and insisted on taking me to the hospital. Good thing too, because it turned out to be a nasty break. While I was on the mend she drove me to work in my car (which is next to the metro that she'd then take to work), walked my dog for me and performed tons of little things like carrying my dinner plate to the table for me - which is amazingly hard to do on crutches.
My current roomie hasn't had to save ME from any total disasters yet, but I often tell him when he absolutely needs to go to the doctor and to refrigerate items that say "Refigerate After Opening" on them. So, I've probably saved his life several times by now. And he walks the dog for me if I'm running late or stuck somewhere.
The extra income is great (I own the condo and rent out the room) but I think I'd really miss not having another person around.
All of these are really great networks! I'm not looking for a job right now, but some of my friends are, so I'm always keeping an eye out for job opportunities. I especially like online contacts, mostly because it's so easy to post a job opportunity on Facebook/Twitter and spread the word by simply sharing/retweeting the post.
Yup; and I'm still using this post to speed up our computers, almost four years later! Great post!
I called my credit card companies to see if they would cancel my cards due to inactivity and they told me “YES”. Since I haven’t used my cards since March 2010 I went out and bought about $10.00 worth of home supplies and reset the timer. Between the two cards I have a $15,000.00 line of credit and owe nothing. I would hate to lose that debt to credit ratio.
I still do indeed visit the theater. Though primarily for the popcorn (which is terrible for me and outrageously priced) and for movies that require a larger viewing environment. My home theater is nice, but I still cannot duplicate the Theater Bang.
Besides, I need to take my wife out on dates too. It is good for us to get out of the house on occasion.
Are there other ways to re-build credit other than credit cards?
The real problem is, there are just too damn many of us.
#9 - to supplement my savings, so I can make needed repairs and replace decrepit appliances
I know I'm REALLY late into this conversation, but the bring-home point to this whole article, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that Horizon is being advertised as milk which is produced from grass-fed animals.
That. Is. Pure. Bull.
If they were actually grass-fed animals, we wouldn't have to worry about any of the other stuff except the pesticides, and for those you can thank Monsanto because they're everywhere and no one can stop the air from carrying the residue from pesticides.
There is no such thing as organic anything anymore. It's all been bastardized by Monsanto, et al.
It's odd that I make a comment on a post like that, but how refreshing! While I like not seeing anyone if I want, until recently, I had a basement apartment That I let a person in need use for free.
I'm not a landlord type, but as you say there are benefits.
I am motivated to save because I lost my job. I am attempting to save as much as possible in light of the situation
Thanks for writing, Marianne. It's always encouraging to hear stories of people who did the work and got to a better place. It was my experience - and I try to tell others - that if you can make forward progress every month, eventually you'll get out of debt. It took me four and a half years, and there were plenty of times along the way when I felt discouraged. But I just kept plugging away. And there was something about the time it took to get out of debt that I think has been helpful in staying out of debt ever since.
One other benefit to asking for accountability is that by coming clean about your financial situation, that can create the space for the other person to come clean with you. Chances are, there's some way you can be helpful to that person. Becoming each others' accountability and encouragement partners is a great win-win.
The key is whether or not you've been paying your bills on time and aren't using too much of your available credit. If there are evident issues on your account, then asking for a lower rate may, in fact, not work to your favor. You'd be calling attention to yourself. But if you've been using credit responsibly, it's worth asking for a lower rate.
You've hit the nail on the head for me. I hate my microwave - why does it beep every time I hit a number? I've returned to a kettle to heat water to get away from this noise. Leaf blowers? Don't get me started. I refuse to use one of those because of the noise. It may take me longer and I don't get every single leaf, but so what? And I absolutely cannot stand Wal-Mart because I can't handle the constant, loud beeping of their register scanners. Please, just give me some quiet.
Yes, I usually see movies in the theater because it's usually either a guy paying for it or I get free passes from a website. If I were having to pay, I wouldn't go; tickets are almost the cost of just buying the DVD.
I take out a lot of credit cards each year. Each time an amazing offer comes around for cash or points I go for it. After awhile it's a lot of work to remember which cards have earned the bonus etc. Once I do what I'm supposed to for the bonus I usually wait about 6 months and then close the account. I don't want to have a bunch of accounts open that I dont use. Also i want to be able to possibly take that card out again in the future and get the incentive and I can't if I already have the card. I keep getting approved for new cards so I dont know if it's really hurting my credit or not. I had excellent credit in the past, not sure what it looks like recently though.