My husband and I both had substantial assets and no children when we went out our own attorneys and had an agreement drawn up before tying the knot. We had a pre-nuptual agreement drawn to keep our finances separate in a community property state.
The issue is usually that people go into with the best intentions but don't keep the assets pure. For instance one party owns the house that is lived in paid for with their own money, but both pay for maintenance, taxes, repairs, etc. People get sloppy as the years pile up and that is a danger. You have to be a good record keeper and go in with your eyes wide open. For instance in our case one person pays for the shelter and the other the other monthly expenses such as car insurance, utilities, food etc.
We were also advised by legals minds to draw up a full list of assets every year, with account numbers, and such to exchange. We do it every March including any debts owed and it has worked for many many years. We joke we are heading toward our fourth seven year itch!
We do not have children and see eye-to-eye on financial things such as spending and investing. We have in other words been raised with similar value around money and spending although we were raised half way around the world. We have a terrific lifestyle on not much money and love to travel modestly whenever we can get away.
We don't split dinner checks at the table when we go out with friends and most people don't know we keep our financed separated it's one of their business. Our bank accounts and statements say: John L Doe, as separate property, so I guess the mailman knows.
To be sure this doesn't mess you up when one partner dies will require an appointment at your favorite attorney so that you don't end up paying estate taxes because of your wish to keep assets segregated.
I think when one person has substantial assets and the other does not, or where there are children and step children or ex-wives or ex-husbands involved it is much more complex. My parents were divorced when I was very young and it was an utter disaster. My husband and I were together for twenty years before getting married and have been married successfully for many years now with only death as the anticipated end to all this bliss!
I was reusing the yeast from my beer which I'm pretty sure said 70* so i cooled it down to that and then have just had it sitting out in the room. I noticed some of you guys saying put the yeast in at 110 so i moved it next to my radiator and went away for a week and came back and it's still going. it's been about 3 weeks but it seems to have slowed down now. it may be ready for action
The tea cups can also be gifted with a few bags of good tea, wrapped in a pretty napkin with a bow, (maybe even a pretty teaspoon) and gifted. I have done this with a lot of my tea drinking friends at work and they love it. Nice lift to have your own pretty, unique cup and saucer for your desk or at home!
I'm not a frequent traveler but I usually take a vacation requiring flight once a year. More often than not I am finding that miles aren't what they used to be. Unless you are willing to be very flexible on departure/arrival dates it is often hard to get the trip you want. Twice in the past year I tried to book trips in non-peak times but would have had to move either the departure or arrival by as much as 3 or 4 days to get the flights, which wasn't possible in either case as we had set times for our accommodations, or deal with overnight layovers. From now on I will probably pay for the economy ticket and reserve miles for upgrades to first class on longer trips.
No my husband and I do not have a pre-nup. When we got married 15 years ago neither we nor or families had any appreciable assests or funds. We still do not have anything that we would need to worry about retaining possession or authority.
I'm not married, but I think a prenup is a great idea for my potential future marriage, with a clause about infidelity (i.e. you cheat, I take you to the cleaners).
My parents have a Honda Odyssey, and they seem to be pretty happy with their car insurance rates. I recently saw a study on the least insured states. It was pretty interesting. It is amazing to see the statistics on how some state's residents are not even insured.
You don't need a dry erase board - just a laminated piece of card stock and an overhead marker (wipes off with water) - I have reused mine for years and years. Taped it to the inside of a cabinet door for easy access.
I feel like after reading this i can call you dude. Dude, I'm living alone right now and hate cooking and cleaning for myself. This was a bit of inspiration because I do deserve to eat better! Lately, I've been resorting to massive quantities of crock pot chili or beef stew that will last me two weeks. I'm going to give some of your recipes a try! Also, for someone that works out a lot, good eating is important! Thanks for the pick me up!
We created a prenup because we want our marriage to last. When people hear that, they say "But a pre-nup is for if you get a divorce?" Well, we consider it like a life preserver. It outlines all of our assets and where we were when we came together to start our lives. We put in a clause that we cannot seperate without counseling first. And it also requires that we split our marital assets in an equal manner. Some people might think that is crazy, but we think that is what marriage is--forever, no matter what. It gives us a reason to stay together, and not to walk away, beyond just the vows. But we are also realistic that not all marriages last, and what better time to focus on what is best for the marriage than when you are thinking of each other, and before things turn nasty with divorce? (We are both kids of divorce.)
If you are in Boston and like fruits & veggies, try the Haymarket. It is NOT a farmer's market (which seem to be more expensive than the supermarket but give you the benefit of being able to shop local), but basically a clearance operation for supermarket wholesalers. The deals are beyond amazing, but you do have to inspect quality carefully. Often things are to a ripeness of that day.
Examples:
3 large yellow onions in good condition $1-2
Red or Orange Peppers 2-3 for $1
5 apples $1-2
7 oranges $1-2
fistfull of cilantro 75 cents
Half dozen stocks of chives 75 cents
Huge multi-pound bag of baby spinach (about the size of 5 supermarket pre-washed bags) $3-5
Note that I have had a hard time getting quality grapes there and am a bit hit or miss on the tomatoes.
It gets even cheaper if you buy in real bulk. Usually they will have sacks of potatoes, onions and oranges that many people couldn't even lift for under $20.
As a city-dwelling public transportation-taking dude, I definitely agree with these items.
Lip balm is an essential for me, especially during dry winters like this. Me and my Kobo have become inseparable (perfect for commutes and inevitably stalled bus rides). And I always have a little notepad and pen in my bag... you just never know when you'll need to scribble something down.
One productivity tip from me is I've found cloud storage to be helpful in my daily business life. I used dropbox for a while, but now am using CX.com, because their iPad app is so good. 10GB free, which is an awesome amount of storage, but right now they have a promo going on for 25GB for .99/month. A steal if you need that much storage. (Their promo is here: https://www.cx.com/mycx/99cents)
I work as a freelance writer, addicted to my iPad. I like being able to access my information, files, pictures, contacts, etc from my iPhone or iPad - and I like this product for that.
I bought an Obi 110 a few months ago as well and love it. It's the same quality as a Vonage line I had years ago and just about the same as a $25 a month comcast line. And you only pay $50/2 years or $2/month! I then attached it to both my google voice account as the main incoming and outgoing line and to a more questionable but free concentric & ikall set-up (a bit more complicated) for a second line in. I use that for a second google voice account that mixes my door buzzer and my and my wife's phone lines along with a private way for me to just call my house. The second line has a distinctive ring, so I know if it is not me calling, it is the door.
Only potential downside is if Google decides to attempt to block the technology for some reason. Since it has been working this long, I doubt they will and if they do, I have certainly gotten my money's worth already.
I'm intrigued. I currently have credit card debt, but I'm paying that off and will be done by summer. I use another credit card that doesn't have much in the way of rewards that I put about $200 on each month and pay off quickly. I think I could be a good churner.
Living below your means can seem easier said than done. However, I've found that even a one income household can live significantly below their means by thinking creatively to cut expenditures.
Great post! I especially like that last one. A perfect example is the cost of hard drives lately. Due to flooding in Thailand, the price is way up. However, I have spares from before the price jump, so I'll just wait to purchase any hard drive based electronics until it levels out again.
My husband and I both had substantial assets and no children when we went out our own attorneys and had an agreement drawn up before tying the knot. We had a pre-nuptual agreement drawn to keep our finances separate in a community property state.
The issue is usually that people go into with the best intentions but don't keep the assets pure. For instance one party owns the house that is lived in paid for with their own money, but both pay for maintenance, taxes, repairs, etc. People get sloppy as the years pile up and that is a danger. You have to be a good record keeper and go in with your eyes wide open. For instance in our case one person pays for the shelter and the other the other monthly expenses such as car insurance, utilities, food etc.
We were also advised by legals minds to draw up a full list of assets every year, with account numbers, and such to exchange. We do it every March including any debts owed and it has worked for many many years. We joke we are heading toward our fourth seven year itch!
We do not have children and see eye-to-eye on financial things such as spending and investing. We have in other words been raised with similar value around money and spending although we were raised half way around the world. We have a terrific lifestyle on not much money and love to travel modestly whenever we can get away.
We don't split dinner checks at the table when we go out with friends and most people don't know we keep our financed separated it's one of their business. Our bank accounts and statements say: John L Doe, as separate property, so I guess the mailman knows.
To be sure this doesn't mess you up when one partner dies will require an appointment at your favorite attorney so that you don't end up paying estate taxes because of your wish to keep assets segregated.
I think when one person has substantial assets and the other does not, or where there are children and step children or ex-wives or ex-husbands involved it is much more complex. My parents were divorced when I was very young and it was an utter disaster. My husband and I were together for twenty years before getting married and have been married successfully for many years now with only death as the anticipated end to all this bliss!
Thank you for all these tips! I have an interview tomorrow and your article really helped me prepare!
Tasty and cheap in the same sentence? There's no way you can go wrong with that. These meals look delish! Stay young and thrifty :)
I was reusing the yeast from my beer which I'm pretty sure said 70* so i cooled it down to that and then have just had it sitting out in the room. I noticed some of you guys saying put the yeast in at 110 so i moved it next to my radiator and went away for a week and came back and it's still going. it's been about 3 weeks but it seems to have slowed down now. it may be ready for action
The tea cups can also be gifted with a few bags of good tea, wrapped in a pretty napkin with a bow, (maybe even a pretty teaspoon) and gifted. I have done this with a lot of my tea drinking friends at work and they love it. Nice lift to have your own pretty, unique cup and saucer for your desk or at home!
I'm not a frequent traveler but I usually take a vacation requiring flight once a year. More often than not I am finding that miles aren't what they used to be. Unless you are willing to be very flexible on departure/arrival dates it is often hard to get the trip you want. Twice in the past year I tried to book trips in non-peak times but would have had to move either the departure or arrival by as much as 3 or 4 days to get the flights, which wasn't possible in either case as we had set times for our accommodations, or deal with overnight layovers. From now on I will probably pay for the economy ticket and reserve miles for upgrades to first class on longer trips.
No my husband and I do not have a pre-nup. When we got married 15 years ago neither we nor or families had any appreciable assests or funds. We still do not have anything that we would need to worry about retaining possession or authority.
Haha great joke. I hope a joke regardless makes me laugh. You're a funny person
I'm not married, but I think a prenup is a great idea for my potential future marriage, with a clause about infidelity (i.e. you cheat, I take you to the cleaners).
Glad these recipes gave you something to look forward to making. And, yeah, you can totally call me dude. Enjoy!
My parents have a Honda Odyssey, and they seem to be pretty happy with their car insurance rates. I recently saw a study on the least insured states. It was pretty interesting. It is amazing to see the statistics on how some state's residents are not even insured.
I understand why people get them, but nope!
You don't need a dry erase board - just a laminated piece of card stock and an overhead marker (wipes off with water) - I have reused mine for years and years. Taped it to the inside of a cabinet door for easy access.
Mikey,
I feel like after reading this i can call you dude. Dude, I'm living alone right now and hate cooking and cleaning for myself. This was a bit of inspiration because I do deserve to eat better! Lately, I've been resorting to massive quantities of crock pot chili or beef stew that will last me two weeks. I'm going to give some of your recipes a try! Also, for someone that works out a lot, good eating is important! Thanks for the pick me up!
We created a prenup because we want our marriage to last. When people hear that, they say "But a pre-nup is for if you get a divorce?" Well, we consider it like a life preserver. It outlines all of our assets and where we were when we came together to start our lives. We put in a clause that we cannot seperate without counseling first. And it also requires that we split our marital assets in an equal manner. Some people might think that is crazy, but we think that is what marriage is--forever, no matter what. It gives us a reason to stay together, and not to walk away, beyond just the vows. But we are also realistic that not all marriages last, and what better time to focus on what is best for the marriage than when you are thinking of each other, and before things turn nasty with divorce? (We are both kids of divorce.)
I live for Burt's Bees! Thanks for the comment, Andrew.
Followed on Twitter :)
Liked on facebook :)
I used to hate spinach too, but then I tried fresh spinach (nothing like the canned stuff!) and became a devotee.
Some great, easy recipes in here, I need to put those chipotle-cilantro quesadillas to the test.
If you are in Boston and like fruits & veggies, try the Haymarket. It is NOT a farmer's market (which seem to be more expensive than the supermarket but give you the benefit of being able to shop local), but basically a clearance operation for supermarket wholesalers. The deals are beyond amazing, but you do have to inspect quality carefully. Often things are to a ripeness of that day.
Examples:
3 large yellow onions in good condition $1-2
Red or Orange Peppers 2-3 for $1
5 apples $1-2
7 oranges $1-2
fistfull of cilantro 75 cents
Half dozen stocks of chives 75 cents
Huge multi-pound bag of baby spinach (about the size of 5 supermarket pre-washed bags) $3-5
Note that I have had a hard time getting quality grapes there and am a bit hit or miss on the tomatoes.
It gets even cheaper if you buy in real bulk. Usually they will have sacks of potatoes, onions and oranges that many people couldn't even lift for under $20.
As a city-dwelling public transportation-taking dude, I definitely agree with these items.
Lip balm is an essential for me, especially during dry winters like this. Me and my Kobo have become inseparable (perfect for commutes and inevitably stalled bus rides). And I always have a little notepad and pen in my bag... you just never know when you'll need to scribble something down.
One productivity tip from me is I've found cloud storage to be helpful in my daily business life. I used dropbox for a while, but now am using CX.com, because their iPad app is so good. 10GB free, which is an awesome amount of storage, but right now they have a promo going on for 25GB for .99/month. A steal if you need that much storage. (Their promo is here: https://www.cx.com/mycx/99cents)
I work as a freelance writer, addicted to my iPad. I like being able to access my information, files, pictures, contacts, etc from my iPhone or iPad - and I like this product for that.
Hope that helps someone. ~Shel
I bought an Obi 110 a few months ago as well and love it. It's the same quality as a Vonage line I had years ago and just about the same as a $25 a month comcast line. And you only pay $50/2 years or $2/month! I then attached it to both my google voice account as the main incoming and outgoing line and to a more questionable but free concentric & ikall set-up (a bit more complicated) for a second line in. I use that for a second google voice account that mixes my door buzzer and my and my wife's phone lines along with a private way for me to just call my house. The second line has a distinctive ring, so I know if it is not me calling, it is the door.
Only potential downside is if Google decides to attempt to block the technology for some reason. Since it has been working this long, I doubt they will and if they do, I have certainly gotten my money's worth already.
I'm intrigued. I currently have credit card debt, but I'm paying that off and will be done by summer. I use another credit card that doesn't have much in the way of rewards that I put about $200 on each month and pay off quickly. I think I could be a good churner.
Living below your means can seem easier said than done. However, I've found that even a one income household can live significantly below their means by thinking creatively to cut expenditures.
Great post! I especially like that last one. A perfect example is the cost of hard drives lately. Due to flooding in Thailand, the price is way up. However, I have spares from before the price jump, so I'll just wait to purchase any hard drive based electronics until it levels out again.