My advice: Remember your youthfulness. Children often exhibit their most unique skills and talents when they are at play. Take notice of this - whether remembering that of your own childhood or how it can apply to your children now. By developing these most innate and yet often suppressed talents, one can know the exact direction to take when considering a high potential, enjoyable career; specific to the individual :) ~Rachel
Well, I was actually told 2 things by 2 different people. One, my mother told me to be loyal only to yourself. No company will take care of you anymore. (My father had to take early retirement after being laid off with a major grocery chain he worked for over 40 years). Two, another co-worker told me a long time ago to not ever let your employer or boss see how much you could do because they would expect it every day and demand more.
After enduring a mind numbing multi-houred assessment, I received this evaluation. "Do whatever you like. I just wouldn't recommend accounting, unless you really want it." Mom was more specific, "Do whatever makes you happy, is legal, and provides a living." Whew. Accounting was no longer hanging over my head. I entered art school as a Graphic Design major, planning eventuially to double up with Industrial Design. After asking the department head how to swing it, he said, "Are you nuts? Pick one or the other." That put the whole thing into perspective. I graduated as a Graphic Designer, worked in Promotion, and loved it.
My favorite business author puts it rather succinctly for those of us that run our own businesses.
Paraphrasing..."Your business is there to serve your life. Your life isn't there to serve your business."...Michael Gerber
My late grandfather said essentially the same thing when my father and uncle had to break it to him that because of labor union issues they had to close the very successful business that he had created and run for over 60 years.
After reviewing the books. He looked up at their worried faces, somewhat amused by their clear discomfort with telling him the news. According to my father, all he said was "Go ahead and close it. I created that business to take care of my family. If it's not taking care of my family get rid of the damn thing." He seemed astonished that his children would think that he had some sort of sentimental attachment to the business.
The best career advice I've been given is "ask for it," where 'it' means raises, promotions, extra perks, etc. Turns out women don't, but guys do, and this is part of the reason why women earn less.
(I negotiated my first raise shortly after getting that piece of advice - so thanks, Linda Babcock!)
Buying our house was definitely the best. We were renters for 7 years and we've already saved about $2000 just deducting the cost of our house payment from the cost of rent. We've only been here a year, so that's a big chunk of change.
brittneydejajason at gmail dot com
The best advice I got was from a college professor who said to avoid "burning bridges" in your career.
As in many professions, you tend to work with the same people over the years either directly or indirectly and if you have a bad reputation, it can cost you work, a job offer or perhaps a raise or promotion.
I'm going to have to disagree on #8. The server putting your meal together at the restaurant is still paying taxes on your meal, so you do need to tip. Yes, they are not giving you tableside service, but making them actually lose money to take your order is not ok.
"If you pick up takeout yourself, all you need to pay for is the food." That's cheap, not frugal. Most takeout places have a tip jar, and the counter staff works as hard as the delivery drivers. The adage "If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out," applies to takeout, too, unless you're talking about McDonald's.
Best career advice given to me: "Dress more professionally"
I have a dirty job that requires me to be around concrete and other filthy construction materials. While my job doesn't quite require me to operate directly with the stuff, it still finds ways to get onto my clothing. So I used to wear a lot of throwaway stuff to work, which isn't against dress code at all. However, my boss caught a glimpse of me in my dirty t-shirt and slightly stained jeans and during one of my reviews, he said I looked like a bum and requested I dress more professionally if I wanted to be taken seriously on the job. I was insulted at first, but I decided to take that advice to a slight extreme and it has literally made my job more tolerable, has made me far more client connections, and has inspired me to carry that same professionalism into the way I keep my office and perform my duties on the job. I don't blame my boss for his bluntness during that review, and I've come to learn that tact isn't one of his strong points. But I became a better professional for it and it's made a world of a difference in my life.
Great tips here, and your sharing them really helped me reduce the guilt that I sometimes feel because I'm not able to devote myself to housekeeping the way that I was able to pre-injury.
Especially when you are in a busy season in life (new baby, kids in multiple activities, busy project at work, etc.), sometimes you just need to cut yourself a break.
My biggest budget buster is food I guess. I have not been cooking lately but have been buying packaged food. I know these are more expensive but they are such a time saver. But then, I recently noticed that those are making me go over my food budget by about $50 a month so I really need to start cooking from scratch again.
My best investment was in my education. It has enabled me to be an independent, self supporting woman and even to be self employed with all the flexibility that comes with!
Though I don't have a lot of funds for investments, I think my 401k was a great one. It's nice how it comes out of my check, I don't have to worry about it, and I just pretend the money isn't there. Hopefully someday it'll be of use!
The best investment I've ever made is the time I have spent with my family. As we get older, we realize that time is so much more important than money. You can always make more money to buy more stuff, but time isn't in our control. Once its gone, there's no way to get it back.
You can line your trash cans with it instead of using plastic garbage bags. I also run newspapers through my paper shredder and use it for packing material. There is also a craft called "Krimp Art" that employs newspapers wrapped around and then slid down the outside of a tube to create the base units for making all sorts of creative things including flowers, critters and more. Lastly, how about a newspaper "treasure hunt" for kids on a rainy day. Give them a pair of blunt end scissors and a list of things to look for and cut out such as the color red, a person smiling, a square, the letter E, a date, etc. etc.
The smartest investment we ever made was our pets. We have had 3 dogs (2 have passed away), and 18 cats (8 have passed away) since we got married 13 years ago. They have all cost us money in vet bills (getting fixed, shots, etc.), food, litter, toys, and our adoption fee for our last rescue dog, but they have been so worth it!
Definitely agree that some reuse/recycle projects are not worth the time.!
I recall that my grandpa scavenged some teeny carpet color sample rectangles, glued to boards. When pried off, they worked wonderfully for carpeting my dollhouse. But his next suggestion, making them into chalkboard erasers, was a dismal failure.
Also, despite being an expert seamstress, I never seem to make time to do all the alterations on my list. Therefore, I have realized it is just not worthwhile to cut/alter a larger garment to fit my smaller frame, even if the fabric is really nice. I'll get around to fixing broken zippers, re-hemming pants, closing up popped seams, or replacing lost buttons. That's it. So all those larger-size garments I bought with great intentions went to Goodwill. And I have stopped buying them, no matter how smokin' the deal.
Finally, I had to admit that the likelihood of repairing busted lawn chairs, creating garden sculpture out of reclaimed miscellaneous hardware, and similar admirable projects are severely limited by my available non-working hours and previous commitments. Also my relative lack of necessary tools. So those worthy, but impractical, efforts at frugality remain unrealized. Actually, it probably would've ended up being a rather expensive garden sculpture, since I don't own a welding rig yet.
So I'll focus on the frugality measures that seem to really pay off and forgive myself for not following absolutely every trail towards frugality. Especially the ones in this article!
My advice: Remember your youthfulness. Children often exhibit their most unique skills and talents when they are at play. Take notice of this - whether remembering that of your own childhood or how it can apply to your children now. By developing these most innate and yet often suppressed talents, one can know the exact direction to take when considering a high potential, enjoyable career; specific to the individual :) ~Rachel
Well, I was actually told 2 things by 2 different people. One, my mother told me to be loyal only to yourself. No company will take care of you anymore. (My father had to take early retirement after being laid off with a major grocery chain he worked for over 40 years). Two, another co-worker told me a long time ago to not ever let your employer or boss see how much you could do because they would expect it every day and demand more.
After enduring a mind numbing multi-houred assessment, I received this evaluation. "Do whatever you like. I just wouldn't recommend accounting, unless you really want it." Mom was more specific, "Do whatever makes you happy, is legal, and provides a living." Whew. Accounting was no longer hanging over my head. I entered art school as a Graphic Design major, planning eventuially to double up with Industrial Design. After asking the department head how to swing it, he said, "Are you nuts? Pick one or the other." That put the whole thing into perspective. I graduated as a Graphic Designer, worked in Promotion, and loved it.
My favorite business author puts it rather succinctly for those of us that run our own businesses.
Paraphrasing..."Your business is there to serve your life. Your life isn't there to serve your business."...Michael Gerber
My late grandfather said essentially the same thing when my father and uncle had to break it to him that because of labor union issues they had to close the very successful business that he had created and run for over 60 years.
After reviewing the books. He looked up at their worried faces, somewhat amused by their clear discomfort with telling him the news. According to my father, all he said was "Go ahead and close it. I created that business to take care of my family. If it's not taking care of my family get rid of the damn thing." He seemed astonished that his children would think that he had some sort of sentimental attachment to the business.
The best career advice I've been given is "ask for it," where 'it' means raises, promotions, extra perks, etc. Turns out women don't, but guys do, and this is part of the reason why women earn less.
(I negotiated my first raise shortly after getting that piece of advice - so thanks, Linda Babcock!)
Buying our house was definitely the best. We were renters for 7 years and we've already saved about $2000 just deducting the cost of our house payment from the cost of rent. We've only been here a year, so that's a big chunk of change.
brittneydejajason at gmail dot com
The best advice I got was from a college professor who said to avoid "burning bridges" in your career.
As in many professions, you tend to work with the same people over the years either directly or indirectly and if you have a bad reputation, it can cost you work, a job offer or perhaps a raise or promotion.
It's a small world for sure.
The best investment I ever made was the engagement ring I bought for my wife. So glad to have her in my life!
I'm going to have to disagree on #8. The server putting your meal together at the restaurant is still paying taxes on your meal, so you do need to tip. Yes, they are not giving you tableside service, but making them actually lose money to take your order is not ok.
"If you pick up takeout yourself, all you need to pay for is the food." That's cheap, not frugal. Most takeout places have a tip jar, and the counter staff works as hard as the delivery drivers. The adage "If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out," applies to takeout, too, unless you're talking about McDonald's.
Best career advice given to me: "Dress more professionally"
I have a dirty job that requires me to be around concrete and other filthy construction materials. While my job doesn't quite require me to operate directly with the stuff, it still finds ways to get onto my clothing. So I used to wear a lot of throwaway stuff to work, which isn't against dress code at all. However, my boss caught a glimpse of me in my dirty t-shirt and slightly stained jeans and during one of my reviews, he said I looked like a bum and requested I dress more professionally if I wanted to be taken seriously on the job. I was insulted at first, but I decided to take that advice to a slight extreme and it has literally made my job more tolerable, has made me far more client connections, and has inspired me to carry that same professionalism into the way I keep my office and perform my duties on the job. I don't blame my boss for his bluntness during that review, and I've come to learn that tact isn't one of his strong points. But I became a better professional for it and it's made a world of a difference in my life.
Great tips here, and your sharing them really helped me reduce the guilt that I sometimes feel because I'm not able to devote myself to housekeeping the way that I was able to pre-injury.
Especially when you are in a busy season in life (new baby, kids in multiple activities, busy project at work, etc.), sometimes you just need to cut yourself a break.
My biggest budget buster is food I guess. I have not been cooking lately but have been buying packaged food. I know these are more expensive but they are such a time saver. But then, I recently noticed that those are making me go over my food budget by about $50 a month so I really need to start cooking from scratch again.
The smartest investment I ever made was two things:
1) Teaching myself about how money and an economy actually works
2) Buying silver
:)
Please feel free to contact me at - allrightyes at gmail dot com
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My best investment was in my education. It has enabled me to be an independent, self supporting woman and even to be self employed with all the flexibility that comes with!
We are totally unprepared for a natural disaster! I know where to find the candles if the power goes out, but that's about it!
The frugal wedding link keeps giving me an error message. Is something wrong with the site? :(
Though I don't have a lot of funds for investments, I think my 401k was a great one. It's nice how it comes out of my check, I don't have to worry about it, and I just pretend the money isn't there. Hopefully someday it'll be of use!
The best investment I've ever made is the time I have spent with my family. As we get older, we realize that time is so much more important than money. You can always make more money to buy more stuff, but time isn't in our control. Once its gone, there's no way to get it back.
You can line your trash cans with it instead of using plastic garbage bags. I also run newspapers through my paper shredder and use it for packing material. There is also a craft called "Krimp Art" that employs newspapers wrapped around and then slid down the outside of a tube to create the base units for making all sorts of creative things including flowers, critters and more. Lastly, how about a newspaper "treasure hunt" for kids on a rainy day. Give them a pair of blunt end scissors and a list of things to look for and cut out such as the color red, a person smiling, a square, the letter E, a date, etc. etc.
"7 Tips For A Frugal Wedding" link above does not work.
Hi, there. Do you still eat carbs, or have you replaced them with the greens?
The smartest investment we ever made was our pets. We have had 3 dogs (2 have passed away), and 18 cats (8 have passed away) since we got married 13 years ago. They have all cost us money in vet bills (getting fixed, shots, etc.), food, litter, toys, and our adoption fee for our last rescue dog, but they have been so worth it!
Definitely agree that some reuse/recycle projects are not worth the time.!
I recall that my grandpa scavenged some teeny carpet color sample rectangles, glued to boards. When pried off, they worked wonderfully for carpeting my dollhouse. But his next suggestion, making them into chalkboard erasers, was a dismal failure.
Also, despite being an expert seamstress, I never seem to make time to do all the alterations on my list. Therefore, I have realized it is just not worthwhile to cut/alter a larger garment to fit my smaller frame, even if the fabric is really nice. I'll get around to fixing broken zippers, re-hemming pants, closing up popped seams, or replacing lost buttons. That's it. So all those larger-size garments I bought with great intentions went to Goodwill. And I have stopped buying them, no matter how smokin' the deal.
Finally, I had to admit that the likelihood of repairing busted lawn chairs, creating garden sculpture out of reclaimed miscellaneous hardware, and similar admirable projects are severely limited by my available non-working hours and previous commitments. Also my relative lack of necessary tools. So those worthy, but impractical, efforts at frugality remain unrealized. Actually, it probably would've ended up being a rather expensive garden sculpture, since I don't own a welding rig yet.
So I'll focus on the frugality measures that seem to really pay off and forgive myself for not following absolutely every trail towards frugality. Especially the ones in this article!