Recent comments

  • 9 Ways to Save Money on Laundry   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Iron your clothes as soon as they get out of the washing machine. Your clothes will be softer, not wrinkled and the dampness from the clothes will make free steam so your iron doesn't have to work that hard and when you "line dry them" they will dry much quicker

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

    I put in a lot of time online. However, I can't let that chain me to a desk, especially getting around without a car. And lugging a heavy 15-inch laptop only makes sense some of the time. So the best investment I made was in 2010 when I dug myself out of a hole and got a Palm Pre Plus. Since then, I got a Pre 2 and then a Veer--and still plan to get a Pre³ and TouchPad, even if that means scouring eBay and Craigslist.

    I hope that HP's recent ads about spinning off their hardware division include plans for that new spinoff company to license webOS and make new hardware--and faster than the typical ramp-up time of a year or more. While some of the recent TouchPad buyers may have just been looking for a good deal, I think some saw an opportunity to get a great device.

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

    Being a single mother i think my smartest invesemet was the quality time i was able to give my daughter, she is now a grown woman we sometimes find ourself laughing at some of the things we did together, Time go so fast and you cant get it back i thank god i push somethings aside an invested in my child life. Now thats an investment of a lifetime.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy or Pack Your Lunch?   14 years 41 weeks ago
    I
  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy or Pack Your Lunch?   14 years 41 weeks ago

    I like you on Facebook!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy or Pack Your Lunch?   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Thanks for the giveaway! I occasionally bring a lunch, but not often. I know it's the frugal choice, but I need an excuse to get out of the office for an hour, and I seriously cannot stand the unrelated-gross-foods-mingling-indiscriminately aromas that permeate office kitchens and lunchrooms. When I get my food out of the microwave, it comes out smelling like someone else's lunch! Gross! (I do bring drinks and snacks, though!)

  • What Was Your Financial Fork in the Road?   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Getting into a car accident with a 5,000 deductible and realizing i only had 2,000 in the bank. I might as well of not had any insurance, but the low premium appealed to me. It taught me about insurance and always to prepare for the unexpected

  • The Worst Investments You Can Make   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Gambling. You might as well flush your money down the drain

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

    Buying a home, even though the market is down, overall I think it i still a wise investment. No matter what the market, I;d rather pay a mortgage and get the tax deduction, than pay a high rent and get nothing in return:)

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

    The best investment I ever made was setting up savings accounts for both my young children, in 15 years they will be able to go to college.

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

    Why are the wise people of our government forgetting about us , a low income baby boomer population. We are trying too keep up with the vast majority of out society in maintaining the basics of the multimedia and , being of a low income bracket, we seem to be forgotten.

    I, myself would love to learn how to text on a smartphone and would learn how to search the web on a smartphone, hold and use an E-Reader.

    It seems as if we should be able too be able to conform and become a viable foundation . even though we are a low income

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

    The smartest investment I ever made was buying my first home on a 15 year mortgage. We will have it paid off in 2 years and will be debt free!

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

    the best investment i ever made was marrying my husband! The last 10 years have been the best years of my life;with my hubby. Learning about life together:)

  • Travel and Money: Carrying Decoy Wallets   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Easy: Carry your money ON you. If you're wearing jeans, then keep money in your pocket. If you're wearing a dress, then get a money belt that's worn under your dress. Keep the decoy cards and small bills in your purse along with all the stuff we women keep in purses (makeup, tissues, etc). So, the burglar grabs your purse, sees the bills and fake credit cards, and thinks he has everything. You only lose a purse filled with easily replaceable items.

    Of course, savvy criminals read articles like this one, and now they know about the decoy trick.

  • Cocktail Time: Great Budget Liquors   14 years 41 weeks ago

    On the last, orange liqueurs, if you get to Mexico get some Controy Licór de Naranja ("liquor of orange"). Follow the recipe on the bottle (maybe backing off on the Naranja but be sure to use fresh limes, and perhaps add a dash of agave nectar) to make the best margaritas! Regrettably you can't buy it in the US.

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

    The best investment i ever bought was my car in 1998. It is a 1998 hyundai elantra and has over 300,000 miles on it.

  • Horizon Organic Milk: Is it All Just Lies?   14 years 41 weeks ago

    I'm not sure if this has been pointed out because I haven't read the other posts but:

    This article is ridiculous.
    "Similarly, the same can be said of the other claims, regarding pesticides and hormones. First, hormones will always be present in milk; it's part of the biology of a cow. [...] So, again another inflated claim. And by the way, Vitamin D3 is added to all milk…it is also a hormone."

    The box doesn't say that the milk is completely free of hormones. It says that they do not ADD ADDITIONAL GROWTH HORMONES that are not naturally made in the cow. This isn't an inflated claim; you just decided to translate "no added hormones" to "no hormones whatsoever."

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

    I think the smartest investment I ever made was getting my kids there first HP desktop 13 years ago. Now they are computer literate and doing great in life.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy or Pack Your Lunch?   14 years 41 weeks ago

    Answer: Pack! I normally pack a lunch using a reusable cloth lunch bag but I'm ever so tempted to get a nice bento box...

  • Social Security Is Not a Ponzi Scheme   14 years 41 weeks ago

    401k plans don't work. Really, they don't work. They're not working out for baby boomer retirees now, and they're don't going to work for future retirees as the sole retirement savings plan (myself included!).

    1. You can't count on a 401k to get you out of a crisis situation like a medical emergency or disability. Yes, you can withdraw early usually without penalty for these situations, but that basically kills your savings then and there. When you're out of funds, you're out for life.

    2. 401k's rely on the the health of the market *when you decide to withdraw funds*. So if the market is looking ugly when you want to retire, you're in trouble. Throw out that plan to retire at 60, because you'll have to work 'till 65 to weather the market. That's happening to retirees right now.

    3. 401k's have no inflation protection. This makes most "safe" investments losing bets over the long term. By design, social security weathers inflation by increasing benefits based on shifts in the cost of living.

    To be clear, 401k plans and social security are two different beasts entirely. Saying that 401k's are better than social security is straight up misdirection. It's a red herring because they serve different purposes.

    401k plans are about sheltering your savings at tax-payers expense for generating profit the long term. It's an investment that may or may not pan out. There's a reason why 401k plan providers and fund analyses make no guarantee about future outcomes. It's always a gamble.

    Social security is insurance that allows workers to make decisions that benefit the overall economy (like consumer spending and other investments like buying a home) without having to save for every unexpected outcome. It benefits older workers AND younger workers the same because social security is not just about providing retirement benefits, it's about providing for a minimum social safety net for workers.

    Conflating the two as a public vs. private retirement plan (as many of the commenters do here) doesn't further the conversation about the merits or shortcomings of each program, and why either may be beneficial (or not) for workers.

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

    My best investment was in what I love cooking. Because of my interest in food I developed ways to make my kettle korn the best in the SF Bay Area. It allowed me to develop other flavor that my competitors copied.

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

    Smartest investment was getting a degree in Liberal Arts and then a graduate degree in Political Science. The skills needed to think and make decisions, and the knowledge gained, have served me well into my 76th year. It has also enabled the gaining of many social skills and relationship skills necessary in today's complex world.

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

    In addition to marrying my wife, my second best investment was buying a home computer when they first came out back when I was in college. I bought an original Mac, and had to put my car up as collateral for the loan to buy it. That computer got me through my bachelors and masters degrees. Having computer experience got me my first real job out of college.

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

    One thing my parents taught me was to listen before speaking. I have learned how to do many things by listening. I have also earned the respect of others by listening.

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

    The best investment I ever made was paying for a lawyer and the immigration fees to get my wife here from China. The dividends I have received are too many to mention!