We grill everything! Fruit and vegetable can be grilled and are extremely tasty, yet healthy sides. My favorites are grilling whole red onions, all squash, bell peppers, apples, and peaches. Very cheap, almost no prep time and a real crowd pleaser!
The most recent smartest investment I have made is brown dress shoes. I believe it is necessary with work clothes as black dress shoes are so common. These leather dress shoes were expensive but I know I'll be able to wear and use these to work, birthday parties, and bars. It has helped me gain confidence in what I wear which shoes in the work I do.
I try to pack lunch as many days as I can. I'd cook the day before and maybe eat the left overs for the next 1 or 2 days. It definitely saves money to pack lunch but going out to eat lunch with co-workers has it's benefits as well such as communicating with people who eat out more frequently.
Dobie, I understand your point of view, and I laud you for sticking to your beliefs. I, too, was raised to view a good credit rating as important and to honor one's commitments. Believe me, a strategic default took some thinking to even consider.
But, as I mentioned in my very first post, the system was being gamed. Neither you nor I approved loans to borrowers knowing they were unlikely to ever pay them back. Neither you nor I found appraisers who would okay almost any purchase price, even when it was much higher than the property really was worth -- more money for the lender and the real-estate agent that way. Neither you nor I took a hardball stance against homeowners suffering through the worst recession since the '30s.
Likely Maggie's lender didn't do most of those things, either. But plenty of lenders did and now the every homeowner has been hurt, including you and me. The banksters got a slap on the wrist; a few of them went out of business, leaving golden parachutes floating toward earth. Based on the articles I've read lately, the banks seem to be doing okay for themselves once again.
So where does that leave the people acting in good faith? Sure, people like Maggie and like me and my partner could have continued to pay on houses in which we could not live. I figure it would have taken *us* the better part of a *decade* to pay off the difference between what the mortgagor said the house was worth and what it actually turned out to be worth. And that does not include the additional cost of insuring and maintaining an empty house. Meanwhile, we're old enough to have to worry about ever being employed if we lose our jobs and to think about whether we've saved up enough money for any kind of retirement. The tens of thousands we would have had to pay for that underwater house could go to much better purposes.
And, frankly, it's not like we walked away from this unscathed. There still was a lot of money spent getting the house on the market. And our credit will be dinged for *years*. Did you know that a bad credit rating can disqualify you from being hired for some jobs? It wasn't easy to choose a strategic default. But, financially speaking, maintaining the high moral ground in the mortgage market is a very expensive pursuit.
i always bring my lunch, because i don't really take a break... and don't like spending the money. I always send my younger one with lunch, but my school age will once or twice eat school lunch. otherwise, he brings it. i've gotten my husband over the last couple years to bring his all the time now. major budget redo! and so much easier really!
Making my health a priority and paying for massages out of pocket (since it's rarely covered by insurance) is the smartest investment I've ever made. I started getting massages as part of a physical therapy regimen after an injury over a decade ago. I kept going back, even if just for 30 minutes once a month, because of how it contributes to my overall well-being.
I'm completely in your boat - I really have to fight to get up in the morning! I agree that the dogs don't help either. My boxer loves napping until 10. :) Good luck with the tips! Let us know if any of them work for you.
I'm one of those people that love to stay in bed but then hate myself for wasting the time. I've given some of the ideas a try but not all at once. I'm going to start tomorrow and fight to not go back to bed. I do love my bed so! Even my dogs want to stay in bed in the morning. It's my favorite time of the day.
Thanks for the new tips! I'm really going to try it. I would love to do yoga in the AM to put a balance to the new day.
With my crazy schedule, I never know exactly when I can eat lunch, so I bring my food. It may not be fancy, but whenever I get a chance to eat, I know it's there.
I don't really have a choice but to bring my lunch. We're paid for our 30 minute lunch and can't leave the building. Even if I could there's not many places I'd eat at within driving distance. My husband and I both cook and we do it better than the majority of restaurants in our area, so we eat at home for 20 out of 21 meals during the average week. The remaining 1 meal is usually a quick sandwich we pick up on Saturdays while running errands.
HI Dobie, If you re-read the post the major issue is the plumbing and structure. We can't live in the house. No county would probably let it pass inspection at this point. We do not have 60K to build a new plumbing system and an additional 60--70 for new structural changes to lift the house and re do the ground beneath---house is worth less than 20K. So we can pay the inflated mortgage on it but at the moment, we can't pee there.
Brilliant. I just rescued SEVEN pairs of jeans from my son - he's grown out of them, and they're too holey to give to charity. This list is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thank you!
The best investment I ever made was going to a brand new "Early College" high school. I completed high school at the age of 18, a month after graduating college with an Associate's Degree. This accomplishment helped me win a significantly large scholarship and be accepted into a top CSU for business.
I'm an advocate for the "Early College High School" system now.
I invested time to read Suze Orman's Young, Fabulous, and Broke. It gave me a roadmap for personal finance, an area I was previously unfamiliar with. That interest led me to a variety of resources that has totally changed the way I live.
I bring my lunch 4 out of 5 days. I try to eat out w/a coworker that other day.
I bring my lunch 4 days out of the week...my work provides lunch once a week!
bag my lunch. no one else eats the leftovers!
I always bring my lunch, except on special occassions. It just costs too much in money and calories to go out every day.
We grill everything! Fruit and vegetable can be grilled and are extremely tasty, yet healthy sides. My favorites are grilling whole red onions, all squash, bell peppers, apples, and peaches. Very cheap, almost no prep time and a real crowd pleaser!
The most recent smartest investment I have made is brown dress shoes. I believe it is necessary with work clothes as black dress shoes are so common. These leather dress shoes were expensive but I know I'll be able to wear and use these to work, birthday parties, and bars. It has helped me gain confidence in what I wear which shoes in the work I do.
I try to pack lunch as many days as I can. I'd cook the day before and maybe eat the left overs for the next 1 or 2 days. It definitely saves money to pack lunch but going out to eat lunch with co-workers has it's benefits as well such as communicating with people who eat out more frequently.
I usually eat a home (I work from home) and probably go out once or twice per week at most. This is usually just to get out of the house!
Water helps me wake up. I'll drink a full cup as soon as I wake up.
Dobie, I understand your point of view, and I laud you for sticking to your beliefs. I, too, was raised to view a good credit rating as important and to honor one's commitments. Believe me, a strategic default took some thinking to even consider.
But, as I mentioned in my very first post, the system was being gamed. Neither you nor I approved loans to borrowers knowing they were unlikely to ever pay them back. Neither you nor I found appraisers who would okay almost any purchase price, even when it was much higher than the property really was worth -- more money for the lender and the real-estate agent that way. Neither you nor I took a hardball stance against homeowners suffering through the worst recession since the '30s.
Likely Maggie's lender didn't do most of those things, either. But plenty of lenders did and now the every homeowner has been hurt, including you and me. The banksters got a slap on the wrist; a few of them went out of business, leaving golden parachutes floating toward earth. Based on the articles I've read lately, the banks seem to be doing okay for themselves once again.
So where does that leave the people acting in good faith? Sure, people like Maggie and like me and my partner could have continued to pay on houses in which we could not live. I figure it would have taken *us* the better part of a *decade* to pay off the difference between what the mortgagor said the house was worth and what it actually turned out to be worth. And that does not include the additional cost of insuring and maintaining an empty house. Meanwhile, we're old enough to have to worry about ever being employed if we lose our jobs and to think about whether we've saved up enough money for any kind of retirement. The tens of thousands we would have had to pay for that underwater house could go to much better purposes.
And, frankly, it's not like we walked away from this unscathed. There still was a lot of money spent getting the house on the market. And our credit will be dinged for *years*. Did you know that a bad credit rating can disqualify you from being hired for some jobs? It wasn't easy to choose a strategic default. But, financially speaking, maintaining the high moral ground in the mortgage market is a very expensive pursuit.
i always bring my lunch, because i don't really take a break... and don't like spending the money. I always send my younger one with lunch, but my school age will once or twice eat school lunch. otherwise, he brings it. i've gotten my husband over the last couple years to bring his all the time now. major budget redo! and so much easier really!
Awesome list! Thanks for including us!
Making my health a priority and paying for massages out of pocket (since it's rarely covered by insurance) is the smartest investment I've ever made. I started getting massages as part of a physical therapy regimen after an injury over a decade ago. I kept going back, even if just for 30 minutes once a month, because of how it contributes to my overall well-being.
I'm completely in your boat - I really have to fight to get up in the morning! I agree that the dogs don't help either. My boxer loves napping until 10. :) Good luck with the tips! Let us know if any of them work for you.
Janey,
I'm one of those people that love to stay in bed but then hate myself for wasting the time. I've given some of the ideas a try but not all at once. I'm going to start tomorrow and fight to not go back to bed. I do love my bed so! Even my dogs want to stay in bed in the morning. It's my favorite time of the day.
Thanks for the new tips! I'm really going to try it. I would love to do yoga in the AM to put a balance to the new day.
Pack! I haven't gone out for lunch in almost 3 months. It's been a great money-saving method for me.
With my crazy schedule, I never know exactly when I can eat lunch, so I bring my food. It may not be fancy, but whenever I get a chance to eat, I know it's there.
Most days I pack my lunch - I eat much healthier, keep my portions under control and save a lot of money.
I don't really have a choice but to bring my lunch. We're paid for our 30 minute lunch and can't leave the building. Even if I could there's not many places I'd eat at within driving distance. My husband and I both cook and we do it better than the majority of restaurants in our area, so we eat at home for 20 out of 21 meals during the average week. The remaining 1 meal is usually a quick sandwich we pick up on Saturdays while running errands.
I pack my lunch / snacks daily. always prepare it the night before, and pack it into my cooler bag the next morning before I leave.
HI Dobie, If you re-read the post the major issue is the plumbing and structure. We can't live in the house. No county would probably let it pass inspection at this point. We do not have 60K to build a new plumbing system and an additional 60--70 for new structural changes to lift the house and re do the ground beneath---house is worth less than 20K. So we can pay the inflated mortgage on it but at the moment, we can't pee there.
Brilliant. I just rescued SEVEN pairs of jeans from my son - he's grown out of them, and they're too holey to give to charity. This list is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thank you!
The best investment I ever made was going to a brand new "Early College" high school. I completed high school at the age of 18, a month after graduating college with an Associate's Degree. This accomplishment helped me win a significantly large scholarship and be accepted into a top CSU for business.
I'm an advocate for the "Early College High School" system now.
I meant "food" allergies, not good allergies.
I invested time to read Suze Orman's Young, Fabulous, and Broke. It gave me a roadmap for personal finance, an area I was previously unfamiliar with. That interest led me to a variety of resources that has totally changed the way I live.