Recent comments

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My smartest investment was purchasing my home when I was 18. It is now paid off and have one less bill to worry about with times like these.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    I started a Mary Kay business in my home. I have not worked super hard at it, buy I have made some profits, plus the fact that I haven't paid for makeup or skincare products in almost two years, out of my regular income! Plus, I have been able to talk about this experience at job interviews (I graduate college in December) and it has been a huge selling point for me!

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My best investment I've made was in accepting the love and guidance of Jesus Christ. Also, I bought one of those iPod Touch MP3 players and that is pretty cool too.

  • Ask the Readers: Could You Survive Without a Cell Phone?   14 years 41 weeks ago

    I couldn't do it. I haven't relied on a home land line for close to a decade. I'm not home a lot, and pay phones are few and far between. And, to be blunt, I'd become a social outcast if I wasn't accessible to my family and friends through text.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The smartest investment I ever made was marrying my husband, who is a great provider, religious leader, protector, husband, and father. He is supportive of me as a person, as a mother, and in my career. He works 40 hours a week and still manages to come home and take care of our home, his wife, and his daughter. Perhaps the most important thing is that he is the head of our Christian household and a firm believer in God as our savior.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My first PC was the smartest investment I've ever made. It was way back in 1991, and it started me on a lifelong journey of freelance writing. Still love my PC (sorry, Apple).

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The smartest investment I ever made was time for myself. I get up an hour earlier than the rest of the household, and I can do anything I want with that time - read, have a cup of coffee, take a walk.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My art classes are yielding a nice return on my talent and thereby my home business. Along the same lines, paying for a separate studio space to work on said art work. I have been 10 times more productive in that space than at home.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The best investment I ever made was putting a thousand bucks into an emergency fund. Sleeping better at night is priceless.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    I took a series of computer classes at a local community college in the mid-1990's. I could type, but had no experience with MS Word, Excel, etc. It opened up my career choices vastly. Like most people, I use a PC at work every day. I'm also a freelance journalist, so learning those programs was absolutely necessary, and lucrative!

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My best investment is my education. After earning my bachelor's degree (and deciding it just wasn't the career I thought it would be), I went back to school. After earning my pharmacy degree (Pharm.D), I can't say I have any regrets. It is a field in demand with good earning potential, and most importantly, a career that I love and am engaged in every single day at work.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The Best Investment I Ever made was deciding to stay home with my children. I had worked full-time and my paycheck was extra money but being at home to raise my children was the best investment and I will never regret it. People are more important than anything material. It is something that can never be replaced.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The Best Investment I Ever made was deciding to stay home with my children. I had worked full-time and my paycheck was extra money but being at home to raise my children was the best investment and I will never regret it. People are more important than anything material.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Smartest investment I ever made was to go to college but more specifically USC. There are numerous colleges in Los Angeles that have received awards for being a top school in the nation. However, schools such as UCLA do not have the same quality found at USC. By attending USC, I was shown so much opportunity to advance as an individual and as an engineer. I was shown career paths that tailored to my interests. Furthermore, their networking system is magnificent which landed me my first internship and my first job.

  • What NOT to Buy at a Farmers Market   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The farmers market in the town we recently moved from (haven't found a famers market in our new town yet) was in a permanent (though still open on the sides) structure that had electrical outlets. Farmers would keep their perishables (meat, etc.) in powered coolers in the shade of the permanent structure. I know that this isn't the case for a lot of farmer's markets, but I never had any qualms about buying meat at my old farmer's market.

    I never, ever buy tomatoes anywhere but at a farmer's market. They're just not worth the price unless they're locally grown. When I have my own yard, I plan to grow tomatoes, but until then, it's the farmer's market or no tomatoes for me.

  • Best Money Tips: Late Retirement Planning Tips   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Some great links to some great tips!!

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My best investment was my college education at the "liberal arts school of engineering." Of course, everything I got out of it in terms of education, experiences, skills, etc. goes without saying. The particular two ways this investment has paid off are:

    1) A professor helped me network into my first post-college job, the recommendation from which directly led to me gaining admission to a much better grad school in my field than I should have given my stats.

    2) I met the man who eventually became my husband. In the years we have been together he has proven himself an excellent partner - certainly in money management, which has increased our net worth - in many areas as well.

  • What NOT to Buy at a Farmers Market   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Really? I don't think your market is indicative of all farmers' markets. Automatically turning up your nose to certain products negates the community aspect of markets. Get to know the growers, bakers, producers and farmers and make the decision to buy based on the best quality for the price. Pass unless the price is right? Sure, we have to make decisions based on cost, but the decision to pass should be made first on quality.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    It may sound corny but the smartest investment I ever made was tithing. It took me a decade to decide to "pay God first". I have faithfully been tithing for several years now and our family has always had just enough and sometimes unexpected windfalls. I never even notice that 10% missing!

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My smartest investment was my Master's degree (in education) that I obtained in 1997 - it paid for itself the first year. It's said that you don't go into public school teaching for the money, but I have really appreciated my income as well as the chance to work with cool kids on the adventure of learning. A Master's degree just makes a lot of difference in pay!

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    My daughter! Far and away the best "investment" I ever made. We met when I was experiencing my first hot flashes and thought I would never be a mom and she was 15 and making her way in a tough world. We met and, for me, it was love at first sight. It wasn't what either of us thought would happen at that point in our livesand created chaos for both of us but today I look at her as a young wife and mother of two and know that it was absolutely the right investment at the right time!

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The smartest investment I ever made was rescuing my two dogs. Not only are they adored members of our family, they are proof that a rescue dog is just as good, if not better, than one that comes from irresponsible breeders and pet stores. They bring our family such joy and companionship which is truly priceless.

  • Want to Get Hired? Be Memorable.   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Volunteer work is a great way to be memorable on your resume.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Best investment i made was in AAU Basketball for my daughter. As of result of hard work, she is now being recruiter by colleges for her skills.

  • HP Giving Away $500 to a Lucky Wise Bread Reader   14 years 41 weeks ago

    The smarteset investment i have ever made was going to a community college instead of a big university. i am finishing up my associates degree then moving on to a 4 year school. i saved a lot of time and money by doing so. i also rent my books instead of buying them used.