I think the most important thing is to talk about money and financial goals before getting married. Although it may be a touchy subject or be "boring", it's well worth a couple's time. I am really fortunate to be married to a man whose financial goals are in line with my own. Not everyone is so lucky. If you find yourself in a touch situation, it is important to talk things out with your spouse and you need to realize that it is okay to talk about money. It shouldn't be taboo in your relationship.
One thing I would like to add is that rye flour while not gluten free can be tolerated by many people who I know who do not tolerate wheat flour (rye has less than 10% of the gluten of wheat). This can make life a lot more tasty. Rye flour can also be very cost effective.
I used all three sites to get my goodies and pass on any stuff that I dont' need. Either sell or trade the items away. As for my personal trash, I used to recycle all the cardboard and paper in the blue bin. When I found out how much the city was charging me for trash, I stop giving the city the "good" recycle stuff like plastic bottles, newspaper, metal,and cardboard. Instead I take them to the dump when I know they will get recycle and I earn extra cash. I don;t live too far so I doesn;t hurt mother earth that bad.
The cheapest meal you'll find at Disneyland is what I like to call the "Poor Man's Meal." At the Pizza Port in Tomorrowland, you can get a huge side of foccacia bread that is larger than a slice of pizza. It comes with cheese on it and pizza sauce for dipping. It's about $4, and is even more satisfying than a real slice of pizza, which costs twice as much.
Be careful about visiting restaurants that are within walking distance from Disneyland. Their prices are hiked up, and might not be any cheaper than staying in the park. For example, the IHOP across from the bus depot is about $3 more expensive than any IHOP you've visited in your life.
My biggest advice is to bring as much food and drink as you're willing to carry. They'll never make you dump it out or eat it in their picnic area. If they question you, tell them you're meeting someone with small children. Everyone with kids in the park brings tons of food. Disneyland won't dispute your right to feed your little picky eaters.
I called Amex after reading all these comments just to see if they could do anything with my APR and yahooo, they reduced it from 15.24% to 10.24% in few minutes. Don't know why i kept peying 15% interest before.
Laundry disks do not work by tricking people. I've used them for over a decade with results equal to detergent (minus the smell). You cannot tell me that for over 10 years there has been detergent residue in my clothing that has been cleaning them. Even my husband's work jeans come out clean with just the disks.
I think most questions should be answered by starting: It depends... If I believe someone will use it, I donate it (when my mom lets me), otherwise I sell it. I have never recycle anything, except for when I was in Japan... In that country they recycle almost everything... I love that place for that...
Thanks for adding to the conversation. Apparently this post is popular among RS players who may learn personal finance concepts based on their gaming experiences, rather than grown-ups who want to expand on PF knowledge using games.
Reading your post made me think of what I have done over the years for my two children. Take a cup of milk [any kind or an alternative type], heat slowly to a light boil, add sliced or shredded white cheese [your preference] slowly into milk base - stirring constantly until cheese is melted; add spices to your taste [ours:
dash of cayenne, thymeric, onion powder [dried or fresh can be smashed into fine particles], basil, oreango]. If sauce is too thin, use 2 Tlbspns of dry flour or cornstarch mixed till thin in a 1/4 c. of cold water, then slowly pour while mixing into cheese sauce. For a richer sauce you can melt a half stick of real butter prior to adding milk to your pan........you can also substitute lite-cream or philadelphia cream cheese instead of the milk. This recipe has always been
seen as an alternative to the tomato based sauces which
really have not taste. Enjoy and experiment !
Sheri
Oh, we have people that go through the alleys, so if we have something big, electrical, or useful, we will leave it by the garbage can, and someone will take it.
Since I moved from WI, and their mandatory recycling, I find myself throwing everything away. My community outside of Chicago does not make recycling easy, or even possible. I tried Freecycle, but even then could not get people to actually pick-up my junk. Until my community supports recycling, everything is going in the trash.
Don't forget Better World Books! Great prices on textbooks (as well as popular fiction). Great bargains in the Bargain (5 books for $15) and it's free shipping anywhere in the U.S.
Also, as Cam said, all purchases support global literacy.
It depends on what it is and what kind of effort needs to go into fixing it or cleaning it up. When we have something we can't use anymore we sell it if we can (eBay, Craigslist, resale shops), give it away if we can't sell it or know someone who needs it (Freecycle), donate it only if it's something that would really be useful to someone else, recycle it if we can't sell it, give it away or donate it, and toss it as a last resort. There are things we toss that I wish I could think of a creative use for! I'm not a creative person so that's a struggle for me. Loved reading others ideas here!
I discovered that Costco sells 1 pound vacuum-sealed bags of Red Star yeast for about $3. I keep the yeast bag in a gallon-sized ziploc in the freezer to reduce light exposure and keep it alive longer. It saves me a bundle vs. the $8 jars at the grocery store! Even if I don't use it all before it dies, it's still a money-saver.
@ Guest (debt for dollars) -- I'm going to try to put this nicely: If you're going to plug your blog, avoid undermining your credibility with an uninformed comment.
Not eating "a real cookie" isn't about cost, it's about avoiding foods that make you physically ill (and have serious consequences in the long run). For those of use with wheat and gluten issues, learning how to cook gluten-free is enjoying life more because it means we get to enjoy more foods. (In fact, wheat is actually quite boring compared to the wealth of other grains out there.)
Sonja, keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to hearing about bread. (And cookies, I hope? hint hint)
One of my favourite gluten-free staples is millet. It's cheaper than quinoa (though I love it too!), and great as a hot cereal (with your favourite fruit or sweetener) or anywhere you'd use rice or couscous.
The reason ur car seems to warm up faster when you drive it ,is because your increasing the rpm's in the engine and it makes the motor warm up faster, so rev up the car a few time after you start it NOT when you first start it though. Oh when driving the car when its cold or freezing out will make your radiator alot colder(in front of the car) so driving the car wont make it warm up faster,you just think it does because your doing something other than just sitting there in a cold car. If your worried about wasting gas while the car is at idle(.007 of a gal.) or the environment maybe you should complain about Mr GlobalWarming(Al Gore) flying around the world in his gas hog 747 jet what a hypocrite. Brrr its freezing this morning in Georgia lol( opps is that now called "Climate Change" which cover everything. Wow i wondered off subject here ........oh well
I was born and raised in the States, but I moved away after college and have been living and working in Japan since. I think some of the points you raise are valid (e.g., older populations tend to run down their savings), but there are enormous differences between how Japanese and Americans spend and save their money.
For example, Japanese tend to spend most of their 20s saving money for big life purchases, typically at rock-bottom interest rates with limited choices in terms of savings and investment. Japanese often spend their single working life living at home or in tiny apartments so they can save as much as possible for a wedding/car/house/family. Americans, on the other hand, have more financing options available that allow them to have these things sooner.
These financing options are helped by a culture where having a balance is normal. On the other hand, the tendency in Japan is to avoid loans as much as possible--the vast majority of cards are automatically set to pay off every month. This means that credit card debt is almost non-existent here.
These and other factors suggest that Japan will not turn into a spending culture like the United States, regardless of the recent trends in savings. This is causing its own set of problems, as domestic consumption is unable to make up for the reduction in exports due to the strong yen, but I think it could be far worse all around.
What country are you paying your taxes in? My husband and I also make over $100k and they tax are crazy.
I think the most important thing is to talk about money and financial goals before getting married. Although it may be a touchy subject or be "boring", it's well worth a couple's time. I am really fortunate to be married to a man whose financial goals are in line with my own. Not everyone is so lucky. If you find yourself in a touch situation, it is important to talk things out with your spouse and you need to realize that it is okay to talk about money. It shouldn't be taboo in your relationship.
One thing I would like to add is that rye flour while not gluten free can be tolerated by many people who I know who do not tolerate wheat flour (rye has less than 10% of the gluten of wheat). This can make life a lot more tasty. Rye flour can also be very cost effective.
I used all three sites to get my goodies and pass on any stuff that I dont' need. Either sell or trade the items away. As for my personal trash, I used to recycle all the cardboard and paper in the blue bin. When I found out how much the city was charging me for trash, I stop giving the city the "good" recycle stuff like plastic bottles, newspaper, metal,and cardboard. Instead I take them to the dump when I know they will get recycle and I earn extra cash. I don;t live too far so I doesn;t hurt mother earth that bad.
Hubby helps me scout out good posts to include, sometimes. He found your blog and let me know that I needed to check it out -- good stuff!
Linsey Knerl
For a simple experiment, shake a co2 fire extinguisher and report back what you hear.
Linsey! Thanks so much for the link! I think your hubby stopped by and left me a comment about chickens the other day. :) I am so flattered!
Food tips from an Annual Passholder:
The cheapest meal you'll find at Disneyland is what I like to call the "Poor Man's Meal." At the Pizza Port in Tomorrowland, you can get a huge side of foccacia bread that is larger than a slice of pizza. It comes with cheese on it and pizza sauce for dipping. It's about $4, and is even more satisfying than a real slice of pizza, which costs twice as much.
Be careful about visiting restaurants that are within walking distance from Disneyland. Their prices are hiked up, and might not be any cheaper than staying in the park. For example, the IHOP across from the bus depot is about $3 more expensive than any IHOP you've visited in your life.
My biggest advice is to bring as much food and drink as you're willing to carry. They'll never make you dump it out or eat it in their picnic area. If they question you, tell them you're meeting someone with small children. Everyone with kids in the park brings tons of food. Disneyland won't dispute your right to feed your little picky eaters.
If it's usable or can be adapted I will donate or keep it if it's something I truly need. I rarely throw things away.
I called Amex after reading all these comments just to see if they could do anything with my APR and yahooo, they reduced it from 15.24% to 10.24% in few minutes. Don't know why i kept peying 15% interest before.
Laundry disks do not work by tricking people. I've used them for over a decade with results equal to detergent (minus the smell). You cannot tell me that for over 10 years there has been detergent residue in my clothing that has been cleaning them. Even my husband's work jeans come out clean with just the disks.
I think most questions should be answered by starting: It depends... If I believe someone will use it, I donate it (when my mom lets me), otherwise I sell it. I have never recycle anything, except for when I was in Japan... In that country they recycle almost everything... I love that place for that...
Thanks for adding to the conversation. Apparently this post is popular among RS players who may learn personal finance concepts based on their gaming experiences, rather than grown-ups who want to expand on PF knowledge using games.
Reading your post made me think of what I have done over the years for my two children. Take a cup of milk [any kind or an alternative type], heat slowly to a light boil, add sliced or shredded white cheese [your preference] slowly into milk base - stirring constantly until cheese is melted; add spices to your taste [ours:
dash of cayenne, thymeric, onion powder [dried or fresh can be smashed into fine particles], basil, oreango]. If sauce is too thin, use 2 Tlbspns of dry flour or cornstarch mixed till thin in a 1/4 c. of cold water, then slowly pour while mixing into cheese sauce. For a richer sauce you can melt a half stick of real butter prior to adding milk to your pan........you can also substitute lite-cream or philadelphia cream cheese instead of the milk. This recipe has always been
seen as an alternative to the tomato based sauces which
really have not taste. Enjoy and experiment !
Sheri
Oh, we have people that go through the alleys, so if we have something big, electrical, or useful, we will leave it by the garbage can, and someone will take it.
Since I moved from WI, and their mandatory recycling, I find myself throwing everything away. My community outside of Chicago does not make recycling easy, or even possible. I tried Freecycle, but even then could not get people to actually pick-up my junk. Until my community supports recycling, everything is going in the trash.
If it's something I really don't need or want, here's what I do with it (depending on it's condition) in order:
give it to someone
try craigslist
donate
see if my childs school can use it in any way
recycle (which is limited in my area)
trash
I had no idea! I will definitely be buying yeast at Costco from now on.
Thanks for the heads up!!
Don't forget Better World Books! Great prices on textbooks (as well as popular fiction). Great bargains in the Bargain (5 books for $15) and it's free shipping anywhere in the U.S.
Also, as Cam said, all purchases support global literacy.
Just wrote a blog post on 11 ways the stimulus package will directly affect you and your budget. Check it out, it's a great resource!
It depends on what it is and what kind of effort needs to go into fixing it or cleaning it up. When we have something we can't use anymore we sell it if we can (eBay, Craigslist, resale shops), give it away if we can't sell it or know someone who needs it (Freecycle), donate it only if it's something that would really be useful to someone else, recycle it if we can't sell it, give it away or donate it, and toss it as a last resort. There are things we toss that I wish I could think of a creative use for! I'm not a creative person so that's a struggle for me. Loved reading others ideas here!
I discovered that Costco sells 1 pound vacuum-sealed bags of Red Star yeast for about $3. I keep the yeast bag in a gallon-sized ziploc in the freezer to reduce light exposure and keep it alive longer. It saves me a bundle vs. the $8 jars at the grocery store! Even if I don't use it all before it dies, it's still a money-saver.
@ Guest (debt for dollars) -- I'm going to try to put this nicely: If you're going to plug your blog, avoid undermining your credibility with an uninformed comment.
Not eating "a real cookie" isn't about cost, it's about avoiding foods that make you physically ill (and have serious consequences in the long run). For those of use with wheat and gluten issues, learning how to cook gluten-free is enjoying life more because it means we get to enjoy more foods. (In fact, wheat is actually quite boring compared to the wealth of other grains out there.)
Sonja, keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to hearing about bread. (And cookies, I hope? hint hint)
One of my favourite gluten-free staples is millet. It's cheaper than quinoa (though I love it too!), and great as a hot cereal (with your favourite fruit or sweetener) or anywhere you'd use rice or couscous.
The reason ur car seems to warm up faster when you drive it ,is because your increasing the rpm's in the engine and it makes the motor warm up faster, so rev up the car a few time after you start it NOT when you first start it though. Oh when driving the car when its cold or freezing out will make your radiator alot colder(in front of the car) so driving the car wont make it warm up faster,you just think it does because your doing something other than just sitting there in a cold car. If your worried about wasting gas while the car is at idle(.007 of a gal.) or the environment maybe you should complain about Mr GlobalWarming(Al Gore) flying around the world in his gas hog 747 jet what a hypocrite. Brrr its freezing this morning in Georgia lol( opps is that now called "Climate Change" which cover everything. Wow i wondered off subject here ........oh well
I was born and raised in the States, but I moved away after college and have been living and working in Japan since. I think some of the points you raise are valid (e.g., older populations tend to run down their savings), but there are enormous differences between how Japanese and Americans spend and save their money.
For example, Japanese tend to spend most of their 20s saving money for big life purchases, typically at rock-bottom interest rates with limited choices in terms of savings and investment. Japanese often spend their single working life living at home or in tiny apartments so they can save as much as possible for a wedding/car/house/family. Americans, on the other hand, have more financing options available that allow them to have these things sooner.
These financing options are helped by a culture where having a balance is normal. On the other hand, the tendency in Japan is to avoid loans as much as possible--the vast majority of cards are automatically set to pay off every month. This means that credit card debt is almost non-existent here.
These and other factors suggest that Japan will not turn into a spending culture like the United States, regardless of the recent trends in savings. This is causing its own set of problems, as domestic consumption is unable to make up for the reduction in exports due to the strong yen, but I think it could be far worse all around.