For our 25th wedding anniversary, I made an ABC list of the places my husband and I have traveled to together. A wonderful reminiscence and affirmation of the fun places we've been already. We also have a bucket list ... but it's totally additive to life's enjoyment so far.
While I agree with everything this article has to say, you go out and find me a 15% return on a mutual fund. I dare you. You can barely get that kind of return on relatively risky stocks. You're more likely to see those kind of returns with options and derivative trading. But please, by all means, show me this 15% ROI mutual fund. I'm putting all my money in this sweet low-risk, high-return investment.
Might have to disagree a little on this one. I wouldn't say it's ridiculous, that might be a bit of an overstatement. Unless your interest rates vary widely (2% compared to 29.99%), debt snowball can be more beneficial than paying off the higher interest rate first.
Yes, I know that paying the highest interest rate saves you more money, but have you ever done the calculations on it? Getting out of debt isn't just about crunching numbers, it's about taking the small victories to keep you motivated. Getting out of debt is more psychological, people don't accumulate debt overnight.
I never feel guilty about that. I used to feel guilty about going into places offering free glasses of wine with no purchase or Foursquare, but then I think, hey, they signed up for this deal. Plus, often times I really like the place, which causes me to return - which is the whole point. Don't feel guilty; eat, drink, and save some money. :)
I'm at that age where my parents' generation is passing away one by one. Pretty much everyone I know has suffered the loss of a loved one at some point. I've learned that it's hugely import to give your condolences to the surviving family or friend. Just acknowledging their loss is important, even if the words aren't quite right. The worst thing you can do is to remain quiet and uninvolved. It's at a time of loss that they need to know that you're there for them. Just a simple "I'm sorry" goes a long way to comfort them.
I quite enjoyed the "Three Times in Life When It's Ok NOT to Save Money" article. Though I have to disagree with the college part. Unless you're paying your own tuition and NOT taking student loans, you should be trying to put away $500 a month. I did that during college so that as soon as I graduated, I had float money to last me until I found a job, which I did within three months of graduating. The money was them promptly put into a savings account where it has been accruing interest for the last ten years!
I am 50 and three months ago after a regular blood test, my BG level was found to be a little high.
I started drinking less and be more careful with what and how much I eat, but lately I took some cinnamon with yogurt in the morning, and it lowered my BG level.
These are must have items! To this list I might add warm wool socks. My feel almost always get cold on flights, especially international legs, and an extra warm pair of socks does come in handy. On a few occasions I've even used them as mittens. Also, since we can't take water bottles anymore, I recommend an empty bottle, too, just fill it up before you board.
I've done this. When I first heard of bucket lists, I thought that I've already done most of the things that I've wanted to do, so I decided to include those things when I made my list. The first one was "teach someone how to read" which I did when I was 6 (I taught my little brother to read). It's also fun to add silly things that are more important when you're a kid like "get into one tree by climbing another tree and crossing over." And it's fun to put things that seemed like a big deal at the time like "have an entire conversation in a foreign language." (Admittedly, I just ordered a jelly doughnut in German and handed over a reasonable amount of money for the payment, but the cashier didn't switch over to English on me!) (And admittedly, I only knew the word for jelly doughnut because of the "I am a jelly doughnut" mistake that some famous guy made.)
I never thought the bucket list was crippling, but then I did feel kind of bad that I couldn't think of very much to put on my list before I thought to include things I've already accomplished.
The most surprising thing I learned is that even though I've gotten to do a lot of interesting travel, it has never been because I made a goal to go to a particular place and then worked to achieve that goal. Instead, I either get invited on other people's travels or I have friends or family who move temporarily to exotic locations and then invite me to visit. It's so much easier going someplace new when other people already know a little bit about the place. When visiting friends, though, do find out if they prefer to take you to all the cool new places they found or if they would rather take you to places they've never been to. You can always visit the places they're bored of on your own when they're busy or need some free time to themselves.
Another interesting thing I learned are that most of the items are not lifelong dreams that I slowly worked my way toward (though I did get to "graduate from a good college"). Mostly I've either just taken advantage of opportunities (like "learn to ski" at a place with free ski lessons) or gotten carried away with something new I was learning (which is how ended up teaching my brother to read). And I've still gotten to have a nice life, so that makes it less disturbing that I can't think of many more things that I want to add to my list.
How long does the fermentation process take with this sugar and water mix? I had mine going for almost 2 weeks before leaving for vacation. I came back expecting it to be done and it's still going strong! I'm only using a 1 gallon container and a couple of lbs of sugar and some brewing yeast which apparently means I should have added even more sugar at the start. I sampled it before I left for vacation and it had a sort of "sweet and sour" taste if you will, almost a bit like a wine cooler so I know it's doing it's magic, I guess i didn't think it would take so long
I would say that organic face care is best. Active charcoal can do wonders in clearing up skin as well. If your going to use a scrub it's best to only use it 2 times a week.
I agree. Although I really like the topic I felt that flooding and drought were the glaring omissions. Global warming is causing rising oceans and less snowfall. Water or lack of it will be the big news in the coming years.
This is a very good idea, since not only it provides a way to appreciate the good things that happened in your life but it also makes you more self-appreciative - your self-esteem will sure benefit from it. Thanks, that was a really great article!
I am a big fan of Suze Orman but this card fell seriously short for me. I don't really see how it's better than any other prepaid card and would not sign up for it myself. Her demeanor with the commenters really disappointed me too.
I will say that I admire her efforts to get credit scores to reflect responsible spending and saving vs. using credit to spend money you don't have. She has really put herself out there for this fight and lots of financial institutions have big stakes in seeing her fail. Overall I still love her.
Wow. This is a fantastic twist on the bucket list. I imagine it would help a lot of people more realistically construct future goals that will be genuinely meaningful (rather than, as is too often the case, anticlimactic and unfullfilling).
When my 15 year old daughter was killed in a car accident a woman who came to the visitation said, "Well, at least you won't have to worry about her drinking, taking drugs, or having sex now." I replied, "I'm really sorry she's going to miss that sex thing." The woman thought I was being funny but I really meant it! I got the "I know how you feel because I lost my dog" comment, too. I especially appreciated the cards. I looked at them for a long time after. And sharing a story that the family isn't familiar with was also comforting to me. A simple "I'm sorry" or "There are no words" are really the best if you can't think of anything else to say. Thanks for posting this information. I hope people who read it remember the advice!
Death is never an easy subject. Many times, just your presence is enough. Don't forget that grieving is a cycle and lasts a lifetime. Make a point to set a reminder to contact them again throughout the first year and especially on the 1 year anniversary of the death. Weep with those who weep...
And if everyone follows this idea, prices go way up as credit card companies can charge a max of 2% to the vendor (who then one way or another ends up passing most of that on to you) whereas debit transactions cost pennies.
In the end, we pay for our own rewards and then some.
Plus, credit is based on paying your credit card bill on time, not how much you pay. Charge $1 every month and pay it on time and your score will be just as good as charging $3,000 every month and paying on time.
Great article! I've always thought it would be able to manage my money and eat right at the same time. Its nice to know there is a variety of nutritional food out there that is affordable!
Thanks for your article. As a busy college students these helpful tips will greatly help in my productivity.
Savy,
Great tips! As someone currently in the job market many of these tips will be things that hopefully will help me in the future.
For our 25th wedding anniversary, I made an ABC list of the places my husband and I have traveled to together. A wonderful reminiscence and affirmation of the fun places we've been already. We also have a bucket list ... but it's totally additive to life's enjoyment so far.
While I agree with everything this article has to say, you go out and find me a 15% return on a mutual fund. I dare you. You can barely get that kind of return on relatively risky stocks. You're more likely to see those kind of returns with options and derivative trading. But please, by all means, show me this 15% ROI mutual fund. I'm putting all my money in this sweet low-risk, high-return investment.
Scott,
Might have to disagree a little on this one. I wouldn't say it's ridiculous, that might be a bit of an overstatement. Unless your interest rates vary widely (2% compared to 29.99%), debt snowball can be more beneficial than paying off the higher interest rate first.
Yes, I know that paying the highest interest rate saves you more money, but have you ever done the calculations on it? Getting out of debt isn't just about crunching numbers, it's about taking the small victories to keep you motivated. Getting out of debt is more psychological, people don't accumulate debt overnight.
You can see an example of the difference in interest paid with debt stacking & debt snowball here: http://blog.debteye.com/debt-articles/debt-stacking/
I never feel guilty about that. I used to feel guilty about going into places offering free glasses of wine with no purchase or Foursquare, but then I think, hey, they signed up for this deal. Plus, often times I really like the place, which causes me to return - which is the whole point. Don't feel guilty; eat, drink, and save some money. :)
I'm at that age where my parents' generation is passing away one by one. Pretty much everyone I know has suffered the loss of a loved one at some point. I've learned that it's hugely import to give your condolences to the surviving family or friend. Just acknowledging their loss is important, even if the words aren't quite right. The worst thing you can do is to remain quiet and uninvolved. It's at a time of loss that they need to know that you're there for them. Just a simple "I'm sorry" goes a long way to comfort them.
I quite enjoyed the "Three Times in Life When It's Ok NOT to Save Money" article. Though I have to disagree with the college part. Unless you're paying your own tuition and NOT taking student loans, you should be trying to put away $500 a month. I did that during college so that as soon as I graduated, I had float money to last me until I found a job, which I did within three months of graduating. The money was them promptly put into a savings account where it has been accruing interest for the last ten years!
I am 50 and three months ago after a regular blood test, my BG level was found to be a little high.
I started drinking less and be more careful with what and how much I eat, but lately I took some cinnamon with yogurt in the morning, and it lowered my BG level.
These are must have items! To this list I might add warm wool socks. My feel almost always get cold on flights, especially international legs, and an extra warm pair of socks does come in handy. On a few occasions I've even used them as mittens. Also, since we can't take water bottles anymore, I recommend an empty bottle, too, just fill it up before you board.
I've done this. When I first heard of bucket lists, I thought that I've already done most of the things that I've wanted to do, so I decided to include those things when I made my list. The first one was "teach someone how to read" which I did when I was 6 (I taught my little brother to read). It's also fun to add silly things that are more important when you're a kid like "get into one tree by climbing another tree and crossing over." And it's fun to put things that seemed like a big deal at the time like "have an entire conversation in a foreign language." (Admittedly, I just ordered a jelly doughnut in German and handed over a reasonable amount of money for the payment, but the cashier didn't switch over to English on me!) (And admittedly, I only knew the word for jelly doughnut because of the "I am a jelly doughnut" mistake that some famous guy made.)
I never thought the bucket list was crippling, but then I did feel kind of bad that I couldn't think of very much to put on my list before I thought to include things I've already accomplished.
The most surprising thing I learned is that even though I've gotten to do a lot of interesting travel, it has never been because I made a goal to go to a particular place and then worked to achieve that goal. Instead, I either get invited on other people's travels or I have friends or family who move temporarily to exotic locations and then invite me to visit. It's so much easier going someplace new when other people already know a little bit about the place. When visiting friends, though, do find out if they prefer to take you to all the cool new places they found or if they would rather take you to places they've never been to. You can always visit the places they're bored of on your own when they're busy or need some free time to themselves.
Another interesting thing I learned are that most of the items are not lifelong dreams that I slowly worked my way toward (though I did get to "graduate from a good college"). Mostly I've either just taken advantage of opportunities (like "learn to ski" at a place with free ski lessons) or gotten carried away with something new I was learning (which is how ended up teaching my brother to read). And I've still gotten to have a nice life, so that makes it less disturbing that I can't think of many more things that I want to add to my list.
How long does the fermentation process take with this sugar and water mix? I had mine going for almost 2 weeks before leaving for vacation. I came back expecting it to be done and it's still going strong! I'm only using a 1 gallon container and a couple of lbs of sugar and some brewing yeast which apparently means I should have added even more sugar at the start. I sampled it before I left for vacation and it had a sort of "sweet and sour" taste if you will, almost a bit like a wine cooler so I know it's doing it's magic, I guess i didn't think it would take so long
do you ever feel guilty using restaurant.com? I don't know why, but when I use it, I feel really guilty.
If you're quality of life is pretty much non-existent... yes, you are too frugal.
I am sorry about your daughter. Glad to know that the cards and stories were comforting to you.
I would say that organic face care is best. Active charcoal can do wonders in clearing up skin as well. If your going to use a scrub it's best to only use it 2 times a week.
I agree. Although I really like the topic I felt that flooding and drought were the glaring omissions. Global warming is causing rising oceans and less snowfall. Water or lack of it will be the big news in the coming years.
I drank moonshine once...
This is a very good idea, since not only it provides a way to appreciate the good things that happened in your life but it also makes you more self-appreciative - your self-esteem will sure benefit from it. Thanks, that was a really great article!
I am a big fan of Suze Orman but this card fell seriously short for me. I don't really see how it's better than any other prepaid card and would not sign up for it myself. Her demeanor with the commenters really disappointed me too.
I will say that I admire her efforts to get credit scores to reflect responsible spending and saving vs. using credit to spend money you don't have. She has really put herself out there for this fight and lots of financial institutions have big stakes in seeing her fail. Overall I still love her.
Wow. This is a fantastic twist on the bucket list. I imagine it would help a lot of people more realistically construct future goals that will be genuinely meaningful (rather than, as is too often the case, anticlimactic and unfullfilling).
When my 15 year old daughter was killed in a car accident a woman who came to the visitation said, "Well, at least you won't have to worry about her drinking, taking drugs, or having sex now." I replied, "I'm really sorry she's going to miss that sex thing." The woman thought I was being funny but I really meant it! I got the "I know how you feel because I lost my dog" comment, too. I especially appreciated the cards. I looked at them for a long time after. And sharing a story that the family isn't familiar with was also comforting to me. A simple "I'm sorry" or "There are no words" are really the best if you can't think of anything else to say. Thanks for posting this information. I hope people who read it remember the advice!
Death is never an easy subject. Many times, just your presence is enough. Don't forget that grieving is a cycle and lasts a lifetime. Make a point to set a reminder to contact them again throughout the first year and especially on the 1 year anniversary of the death. Weep with those who weep...
And if everyone follows this idea, prices go way up as credit card companies can charge a max of 2% to the vendor (who then one way or another ends up passing most of that on to you) whereas debit transactions cost pennies.
In the end, we pay for our own rewards and then some.
Plus, credit is based on paying your credit card bill on time, not how much you pay. Charge $1 every month and pay it on time and your score will be just as good as charging $3,000 every month and paying on time.
Great article! I've always thought it would be able to manage my money and eat right at the same time. Its nice to know there is a variety of nutritional food out there that is affordable!