I love this article, it's so refreshing to read a down to earth and realistic approach to changing your diet and lifestyle. I've been making smaller changes and better eating choices combined with aerobic exercise and plenty of fluids and it seems to be working. I sometimes get down hearted when I read huge lists of what not to eat when trying to lose weight so now I ignore them, instead I cut down portion sizes and try to substitute with veggie, rice etc, slow and steady wins the race :D
I went back to my state school for grad school in 1983. Two years of business school cost me $3400 total and I've reaped the returns in salary ever since.
The wisest investment I've ever made was to purchase an extra desktop computer to use with our HD TV so that we could cancel our cable service and watch programs via the computer. That one investment allowed us to cut back enormously on our entertainment expenses.
I am relatively prepared for a natural disaster. I'm aware of what disasters are possible in my area (just about everything except major earthquakes) and have my home well stocked. I keep some supplies at work and in my car and 95% of the time could get home within a few hours, even if I had to walk. About the only thing I'm not well prepared for is total evacuation. I could do it, but it would take me a bit longer than I'm comfortable admitting.
I'm also a member of a local disaster response team. I've deployed to help recover from a variety of natural disasters (mostly in the second-wave/clean-up phase). It's amazing and heart breaking to see the destruction and talk to the people who were affected. Most difficult probably was completely clearing out a home which had been completely underwater in a flood. The elderly homeowners were there for part of that day, watching as we brought out almost all of their belongings, sorting them between different piles to be hauled away to the landfill or be recycled. We were able to salvage only a few things. They were fortunate to have had insurance. Others we worked with did not. Really opened my eyes to the importance of preparedness.
When I first started working, I invested in a gray suit with several silk shirts and scarves. I wore those outfits for many years and always felt professionally dressed.
I found that the greatest thing I did for myself to be more organized is getting a mint.com account. Everything is piled in one place for me to keep track of and no paper work :). However,not sure that I could go back and keep paperwork aside from taxes and credit reports, but looking to learn to work smarter not harder
My smartest investment was in my education. It wasn't the best school for my major nor was it the cheapest for my major, but it was the best value for my major and turned out to be an excellent fit for me. I was a part of the co-op program and alternated terms between full-time school and full-time work. I ended up in school for five years, but due to the pay during my work terms as well as living frugally while in school and being awarded a few small scholarships, I was able to graduate without debt and with the equivalent of two years experience. Between my education, my work experience and the contacts I had made both at school and at work, I was able to get an excellent job upon graduation.
My best investment was my long overdue cooling system maintenance on my Volvo when I first moved to Phoenix. It wasn't cheap, but you never really appreciate things like that until the thermometer hits 116.
Also, my TouchPad has turned out to be an excellent decision :)
Oddly, the best (recent) investment we've made is a home soda-water maker. We have saved hundreds of dollars and not put all those plastic bottles into landfills too.
So it's not huge like a degree or a house, but it's saved our seltzer guzzling selves lots of cash.
As far as non monetary things go, our ten sessions of premarital couseling was the best investment of our time ever. Sure we had all the basics already, good communication, friendship, love. But through it we covered areas we wouldn't normally have. It gave us a solid basis for communicating more deeply about everything. Finances, child rearing styles, dreams, fighting "fair", expectations.
After college and teaching for 2 years, I accepted a commission in the US Navy. For the next 20 years I invested my time and efforts into the United States. The rewards were immense. The quality of personnel I worked with, the scope of the jobs, the personal satisfaction in a job well done. I grew up, grew strong, and gained a wider understanding and empathy for all the different people and cultures in the US and abroad. I miss the Navy but the lessons are still a part of me.
The smartest investment I've made is doing a college internship at Walt Disney World. Originally my dream job since I was 10 years old, I had always wanted to work for the company, and being a college student allowed me to live my dream. I learned valuable life skills, saw firsthand the inner-workings of a large company, and met the man I wanted to marry.
The best investment I made was in myself. I came out of a very rough personal situation in life with no family around, no money or support, and earned an MBA degree, with a fully paid assistantship, holding down 2 jobs, and taking 5 classes a semester, with a 3.8 GPA. The experience taught me to respect myself and that if I could have survived that experience, I could survive anything.
The smartest investment that I've ever made is in real estate. I've made $30,000 selling a house and hope to make even more by investing in rental property.
My best investment has been my computer, which was quite expensive when I purchased it, but was practical because it provided all the memory, power, etc. I need to work efficiently as a graphic designer. It is my most valuable physical possession, worth more than my car, and has paid for itself several times over!
Becoming a stay at home mom. After being laid off in the corporate world I took sone time off. My daughter had just started Kindergarten. Then I was able to find a part time job at a retail chain where I only worked while she was in school. After two years of that and a new baby I took the plunge and became a full time stay at home mom! Investing in my children has been the most important most rewarding investment this mom has made!
I'm sure that the editors weren't thinking when they included a bottle with a post about saving costs on groceries. Breastfeeding is the #1 way to save money. I know that breastfeeding mothers who go back to work will need bottles.
The best investment I have made is in some canning equipment and a dehydrator. I make small batches of jams and jellies, plus, the dehydrator works wonders for fruits and veggies that are getting a little old in the fridge. Even though the initial cost is high, these two different ways of preserving foods are helping me to stop wasting produce and providing my family with tasty treats throughout the year.
The smartest investment I ever made was to get my Master's degree before having children. It took prodding from my mom to do it, but it was so much easier to do before having children. Later, I was divorced and was so grateful to have not only my degree but additional certification so that I could step back into the workforce. You never know what life will bring, even the seeming security of marraige and a good income with one parent able to stay at home can be disrupted by illness, divorce or death. Keeping up with your profession, doing the continuing education to stay registered and staying in touch with contacts can be a lifesaver.
Time: Family time is more important than work, or anything else we can spend it on. Time with family is an investment in your and their personal happiness. The more time we spend with family, doing things together the less we will regret it later in life while looking back. Many people in the end of their life look back and regret having not spent more time with family. And on the other end of that thought they regret spending so much time working, or doing other things rather than spending time with Family. Put family first and you'll never regret it later.
The best investment I ever made is my wife. She completes me as person and as a business professional. We share the same ideals which brings us closer together and we find ourselves getting better with age. We've managed to raise two teenage girls , fight off a sluggish economy by keeping debt low, and manage a successful equity portfolio through it all.
The best investment I have ever made was in the early education of my three daughters at a Montessori school. Instead of saving for college, I paid to put them in a special school environment when they were young and loved to learn. It has paid off extremely well! My oldest is now in school to become an RN, my second daughter is the quality assurance plant manager for a nationally known company, and my youngest is graduating from an Illinois college this spring with two degrees, completing these in five years. They all were able to handle most of their college expenses on their own.
I love this article, it's so refreshing to read a down to earth and realistic approach to changing your diet and lifestyle. I've been making smaller changes and better eating choices combined with aerobic exercise and plenty of fluids and it seems to be working. I sometimes get down hearted when I read huge lists of what not to eat when trying to lose weight so now I ignore them, instead I cut down portion sizes and try to substitute with veggie, rice etc, slow and steady wins the race :D
just DON'T drop your glass lunch container and see it shatter all over the floor...like I did this morning.
I went back to my state school for grad school in 1983. Two years of business school cost me $3400 total and I've reaped the returns in salary ever since.
The wisest investment I've ever made was to purchase an extra desktop computer to use with our HD TV so that we could cancel our cable service and watch programs via the computer. That one investment allowed us to cut back enormously on our entertainment expenses.
I am relatively prepared for a natural disaster. I'm aware of what disasters are possible in my area (just about everything except major earthquakes) and have my home well stocked. I keep some supplies at work and in my car and 95% of the time could get home within a few hours, even if I had to walk. About the only thing I'm not well prepared for is total evacuation. I could do it, but it would take me a bit longer than I'm comfortable admitting.
I'm also a member of a local disaster response team. I've deployed to help recover from a variety of natural disasters (mostly in the second-wave/clean-up phase). It's amazing and heart breaking to see the destruction and talk to the people who were affected. Most difficult probably was completely clearing out a home which had been completely underwater in a flood. The elderly homeowners were there for part of that day, watching as we brought out almost all of their belongings, sorting them between different piles to be hauled away to the landfill or be recycled. We were able to salvage only a few things. They were fortunate to have had insurance. Others we worked with did not. Really opened my eyes to the importance of preparedness.
When I first started working, I invested in a gray suit with several silk shirts and scarves. I wore those outfits for many years and always felt professionally dressed.
I invested in a house with my girlfriend. Soon to be paid off in 2 years by paying off the principle :)
I found that the greatest thing I did for myself to be more organized is getting a mint.com account. Everything is piled in one place for me to keep track of and no paper work :). However,not sure that I could go back and keep paperwork aside from taxes and credit reports, but looking to learn to work smarter not harder
My smartest investment was in my education. It wasn't the best school for my major nor was it the cheapest for my major, but it was the best value for my major and turned out to be an excellent fit for me. I was a part of the co-op program and alternated terms between full-time school and full-time work. I ended up in school for five years, but due to the pay during my work terms as well as living frugally while in school and being awarded a few small scholarships, I was able to graduate without debt and with the equivalent of two years experience. Between my education, my work experience and the contacts I had made both at school and at work, I was able to get an excellent job upon graduation.
My best investment was my long overdue cooling system maintenance on my Volvo when I first moved to Phoenix. It wasn't cheap, but you never really appreciate things like that until the thermometer hits 116.
Also, my TouchPad has turned out to be an excellent decision :)
Oddly, the best (recent) investment we've made is a home soda-water maker. We have saved hundreds of dollars and not put all those plastic bottles into landfills too.
So it's not huge like a degree or a house, but it's saved our seltzer guzzling selves lots of cash.
As far as non monetary things go, our ten sessions of premarital couseling was the best investment of our time ever. Sure we had all the basics already, good communication, friendship, love. But through it we covered areas we wouldn't normally have. It gave us a solid basis for communicating more deeply about everything. Finances, child rearing styles, dreams, fighting "fair", expectations.
After college and teaching for 2 years, I accepted a commission in the US Navy. For the next 20 years I invested my time and efforts into the United States. The rewards were immense. The quality of personnel I worked with, the scope of the jobs, the personal satisfaction in a job well done. I grew up, grew strong, and gained a wider understanding and empathy for all the different people and cultures in the US and abroad. I miss the Navy but the lessons are still a part of me.
The smartest investment I've made is doing a college internship at Walt Disney World. Originally my dream job since I was 10 years old, I had always wanted to work for the company, and being a college student allowed me to live my dream. I learned valuable life skills, saw firsthand the inner-workings of a large company, and met the man I wanted to marry.
The best investment I made was in myself. I came out of a very rough personal situation in life with no family around, no money or support, and earned an MBA degree, with a fully paid assistantship, holding down 2 jobs, and taking 5 classes a semester, with a 3.8 GPA. The experience taught me to respect myself and that if I could have survived that experience, I could survive anything.
The smartest investment that I've ever made is in real estate. I've made $30,000 selling a house and hope to make even more by investing in rental property.
My best investment has been my computer, which was quite expensive when I purchased it, but was practical because it provided all the memory, power, etc. I need to work efficiently as a graphic designer. It is my most valuable physical possession, worth more than my car, and has paid for itself several times over!
Becoming a stay at home mom. After being laid off in the corporate world I took sone time off. My daughter had just started Kindergarten. Then I was able to find a part time job at a retail chain where I only worked while she was in school. After two years of that and a new baby I took the plunge and became a full time stay at home mom! Investing in my children has been the most important most rewarding investment this mom has made!
I'm sure that the editors weren't thinking when they included a bottle with a post about saving costs on groceries. Breastfeeding is the #1 way to save money. I know that breastfeeding mothers who go back to work will need bottles.
The best investment I have made is in some canning equipment and a dehydrator. I make small batches of jams and jellies, plus, the dehydrator works wonders for fruits and veggies that are getting a little old in the fridge. Even though the initial cost is high, these two different ways of preserving foods are helping me to stop wasting produce and providing my family with tasty treats throughout the year.
The smartest investment I ever made was to get my Master's degree before having children. It took prodding from my mom to do it, but it was so much easier to do before having children. Later, I was divorced and was so grateful to have not only my degree but additional certification so that I could step back into the workforce. You never know what life will bring, even the seeming security of marraige and a good income with one parent able to stay at home can be disrupted by illness, divorce or death. Keeping up with your profession, doing the continuing education to stay registered and staying in touch with contacts can be a lifesaver.
Time: Family time is more important than work, or anything else we can spend it on. Time with family is an investment in your and their personal happiness. The more time we spend with family, doing things together the less we will regret it later in life while looking back. Many people in the end of their life look back and regret having not spent more time with family. And on the other end of that thought they regret spending so much time working, or doing other things rather than spending time with Family. Put family first and you'll never regret it later.
The best investment I ever made is my wife. She completes me as person and as a business professional. We share the same ideals which brings us closer together and we find ourselves getting better with age. We've managed to raise two teenage girls , fight off a sluggish economy by keeping debt low, and manage a successful equity portfolio through it all.
My best investment---GPS for my car. Now I like when someone "tells me where to go!"
dolniaks[at]consolidated[dot]net
The best investment I have ever made was in the early education of my three daughters at a Montessori school. Instead of saving for college, I paid to put them in a special school environment when they were young and loved to learn. It has paid off extremely well! My oldest is now in school to become an RN, my second daughter is the quality assurance plant manager for a nationally known company, and my youngest is graduating from an Illinois college this spring with two degrees, completing these in five years. They all were able to handle most of their college expenses on their own.