Hey guys! Thanks for the comments. Robert, the photo was selected by the editing team, and is not one that was provided by Clair to represent her own shopping adventure. (Although I know Clair personally, and I'm fairly certain -- if she could match a coupon with a fabulous sale to get it for free -- she'd buy Bounce in a heartbeat!)
I personely love net spend i get my pay checks a day before everyone else the fees are small at best I can use it every where so dont give the company such a bad rep they probably got your name from someone else you already shredded it so stop crying about are you going to cry every time you get a peice of junk mail!
Another great way to travel for very very low cost is to use a site like www.workaway.info. They list places you can stay and help out at, in return for food and accommodation. :)
There is a way to ferment at a very high proof. It takes special yeast. Look up Turbo Yeast. You can then enhance it with flavours. This is completely legal. You could say it is very strong, tequila flavoured sugar wine. You can get about 20% which is 40 proof. That is good enough for most people. You can take it a step farther. You can freeze the wine before you add the flavours. The water will ice up and can be removed. You are better off freezing it, let it thaw, and then refreeze it. This helps to layer it with water on top. Much easier to remove the ice this way. You can increase the proof a lot this way. It will increase the flavours carried over from fermentation. So use very clean flavours. Be sure you run it thru Brita filters. This is more susceptible to give you a hangover then real distilled tequila. BUT, it is legal.
Really a great article - one of the most disheartening things I've been wading through since I was diagnosed with celiac is the "well, of COURSE you have to spend gobs of money now, there is no choice in gluten free eating" attitude. There needs to be a lot more of this type of material out there - that you can make it at home, it can taste good, and it doesn't have to mean you skip paying the electric bill that month!
I luckily have (and use) pretty much everything on the list - but the one item that screams out for anyone these days? The freezer! The local resale shops often have models in good condition for well under $100. I love mine so much (current model - used and lovingly given by an elderly aunt when she went into assisted living) that I tend to pick them up as wedding presents for friends. I haven't dropped more than $75 on one (several for far less) and now I have friends telling me more than a year in advance they are considering getting hitched to get on the list!
I hope no one feels shame shopping at thrift stores! As Marla notes, teens love them. Back in the 90's I don't think I owned a single piece of new clothing - everything came from the Sally. Not to mention the number of legitimately wealthy folks who shop for designer stuff at higher end consignment stores.
Don't force yourself to go to a store that is in any way distasteful to you. As previously mentioned, Goodwill and Salvation Army can be picked over (by merchants who upsell stuff to teens!) or a little rundown, but there are smaller chains or independent stores that might be nicer. Another tip is to travel to an affluent zip code. Let me tell you the stuff you can find at the Sally in Newburyport, MA...
Great points. Since we exist in a debt-driven economy, there are many elements in the economy, including government, that try to convince people to get into debt so we can have economic growth. But is over-consumption and addiction to debt the best possible long term solution to economic growth? How does all these "pro-consumerism" policies affect the environment or the less fortunate?
As for me and my house, we will stay away from debt. I will not give up my freedom for the good of the economy.
New habits really do make a different. You can live larger when you're aware. I worked with a client this morning who wanted to make some changes. So we instituted a practice where she wrote down her spending every day. Here it is close to the end of the month and her budget said $300/month for food and she's hit $317 so far and realizes she really needs more food for the end of the month... so do you start eating the rest of the eggs for the next few days or re-evaluate the use of your budget.
Thanks for the blog.. happy to see the message continually getting out there. Change can happen when we realize we can make simple changes to improve our quality of life at work and at home.
Yes I have had the exact some problem with gapbuster this month! They queried one of my reviews and it was immediate from the line of questioning that they were looking for an excuse not to pay for the assignment and then I received an email saying that they would not pay me. It seems very strange to me as the review wasn't critical it just simply stated the facts. I am now reluctant to give negative reviews for any of my assignments as it seems that they are looking for reasons not to pay people at the moment. I've been recommended two other companies by friends TNS and Acumen, I will work for them instead from now on.
Shopper perspective: Re broken zippers, consider whether you can tolerate using a safety pin or some other "hack" to keep the zipper closed. Also, if a new zipper costs $7, but you can get the right color and size zipper from a $4 thrift-store garment, then it may be worth your while to teach yourself how to replace a zipper! It's like any skill that gets easier the more you do it.
Also: To save time and grief in the dressing room, know your measurements and take a tape measure with you to the store. Especially in women's clothes, the size numbers on tags are meaningless across brands. In one label's trousers I'm a 4P but I'm a 6A in another's. Phooey on that! I think I may start a notebook with what size my measurements mean to various designers.
Volunteer perspective: Re stuff too damaged to donate, thrift stores that know what they're doing will take unusable clothing because they can get some small amount of money for the weight, as @pam munro mentioned. You can call ahead of time and ask. You can also separate out the clothes you think are too junky and tell the staff, "This is just weight."
This is always a balancing act for me: how much can I cut back on heating without making myself *feel* cold. I have a pretty low tolerance for being cold, and find myself getting seriously depressed, anxious and edgy when I'm chilled. Which leads to less productivity, and so less income. Plus I'm no fun to be around.
Sierra Black - embracing the wild heart of parenting at www.childwild.com
(1)re;pressure cooker,on the top of the cooker you should have a 1/8" plug/vent you can just p/u an adapter to go from 1/8 male thread to 1/4 compression fitting and run your copper tubingto your cooling vessel (2)the 1st300ml(12oz) should be tossed it contains impurities from the copper.(3)you'll want to keep the mash temp between 180deg. and 210deg,after212 deg. the water will begin to boil off also diluting your product(4) yes you can filter it through charcoal to take some of the bitterness off.(5) yes you can redistill it to get more impurities out but if you maintained the temp. between 180 and 210 you shouldnt have to do this it should be 140proof on the 1st run. i hope this helps good luck and good stillin
The government wants us to spend, spend, spend. They tell us the way out of the economic downturn is spending. Debt is just the way for us to spend more. Some people lead by example, look at the Government's deficit. I don' think the Government makes the best role model http://evolutionofwealth.com/2009/06/who-is-your-role-model/
It's running the still that's illegal. (And, of course, possessing, transporting, or selling the product of the still.)
Actually, it's even a little more complicated than that, in that it can be legal to distill ethanol for non-beverage purposes (such as to make ethanol fuel). There are, however, forms to be filed and rules to be followed. But just making beer or wine for your own household use is entirely legal and there are no special formalities that you need to follow.
ok sorry, one more question and i'll try to leave u alone :) you are allowed to make your own beer and wine, right? you just cant go past the fermenting stage to the distilling stage? and there is'nt anything wrong w/ buying essences to put into liquor that you buy, right? thank you very much ::)
Our system is almost on automatic pilot. In November we make up a written budget for the following year. We generally know how much needs to go into each category from year to year. I make up the rough. We discuss changes, and reevaluate long term goals at that time.
Each of us is responsible to write down what they spend in each category. So if one of us picks up a prescription or buys gas they write it down. If there's a deficit we discuss, "where we're going to take it out of", and make the adjustments. Most of the time we keep under budget. If there is a horrible difference in a particular category, like the year our son broke his arm, I might rewrite the budget to accomodate, trimming from each of the other accounts to cover, and we talk about it.
Both of us can do all the budgeting functions but they're broken down this way: I write and keep the budget up, DH balances the check book and does the taxes. We don't charge something unless there's cash in the account. We pay for groceries in cash. We don't carry debt. Each of us a bit of personal spending money to do with what we want. That pretty much keeps things running smoothly.
The department of Motor vehicles sells all your info from addresses to S.S.# to whatever they have on you. Here is one I don't like either, I went to the local one stop job place in our county. They have a sign in sheet that you have to sign before you can even get a list of any job openings. Here is what they want: name, address, phone , birth date & last 4 digits of social security number. I refused to put it & asked if they had heard that anyone can figure S.S. number out if have last 4 digits & name & birth date. She said no. I told her to look it up on internet . they still make people do that. What if someone can remember numbers good, cause everyone coming in looks at this & signs it. I could easily remember enough for 2 people on it. Not good at all. What you think about that?
if ur a master just make a account sell it a great way to make money
dont waste ur time making one for 2 years if ur that addicted
Hey guys! Thanks for the comments. Robert, the photo was selected by the editing team, and is not one that was provided by Clair to represent her own shopping adventure. (Although I know Clair personally, and I'm fairly certain -- if she could match a coupon with a fabulous sale to get it for free -- she'd buy Bounce in a heartbeat!)
Linsey Knerl
I personely love net spend i get my pay checks a day before everyone else the fees are small at best I can use it every where so dont give the company such a bad rep they probably got your name from someone else you already shredded it so stop crying about are you going to cry every time you get a peice of junk mail!
Another great way to travel for very very low cost is to use a site like www.workaway.info. They list places you can stay and help out at, in return for food and accommodation. :)
ALDI ROCKS! Canned goods not even on sale for 35 cents? 45 cents maybe for a big can? wooohooo!
Can you believe this post is over 300 long? WOW! I lost the updates on a second page :)
There is a way to ferment at a very high proof. It takes special yeast. Look up Turbo Yeast. You can then enhance it with flavours. This is completely legal. You could say it is very strong, tequila flavoured sugar wine. You can get about 20% which is 40 proof. That is good enough for most people. You can take it a step farther. You can freeze the wine before you add the flavours. The water will ice up and can be removed. You are better off freezing it, let it thaw, and then refreeze it. This helps to layer it with water on top. Much easier to remove the ice this way. You can increase the proof a lot this way. It will increase the flavours carried over from fermentation. So use very clean flavours. Be sure you run it thru Brita filters. This is more susceptible to give you a hangover then real distilled tequila. BUT, it is legal.
Really a great article - one of the most disheartening things I've been wading through since I was diagnosed with celiac is the "well, of COURSE you have to spend gobs of money now, there is no choice in gluten free eating" attitude. There needs to be a lot more of this type of material out there - that you can make it at home, it can taste good, and it doesn't have to mean you skip paying the electric bill that month!
I luckily have (and use) pretty much everything on the list - but the one item that screams out for anyone these days? The freezer! The local resale shops often have models in good condition for well under $100. I love mine so much (current model - used and lovingly given by an elderly aunt when she went into assisted living) that I tend to pick them up as wedding presents for friends. I haven't dropped more than $75 on one (several for far less) and now I have friends telling me more than a year in advance they are considering getting hitched to get on the list!
I hope no one feels shame shopping at thrift stores! As Marla notes, teens love them. Back in the 90's I don't think I owned a single piece of new clothing - everything came from the Sally. Not to mention the number of legitimately wealthy folks who shop for designer stuff at higher end consignment stores.
Don't force yourself to go to a store that is in any way distasteful to you. As previously mentioned, Goodwill and Salvation Army can be picked over (by merchants who upsell stuff to teens!) or a little rundown, but there are smaller chains or independent stores that might be nicer. Another tip is to travel to an affluent zip code. Let me tell you the stuff you can find at the Sally in Newburyport, MA...
Second hand is the new black!
Linsey, thanks for the mention. Now I'm off to read the other articles in your list!
I see Bounce in the basket. Not a store brand!
Great points. Since we exist in a debt-driven economy, there are many elements in the economy, including government, that try to convince people to get into debt so we can have economic growth. But is over-consumption and addiction to debt the best possible long term solution to economic growth? How does all these "pro-consumerism" policies affect the environment or the less fortunate?
As for me and my house, we will stay away from debt. I will not give up my freedom for the good of the economy.
http://blog.beatingdebt.org/2009/02/24/giving-up-our-freedom-for-the-goo...
New habits really do make a different. You can live larger when you're aware. I worked with a client this morning who wanted to make some changes. So we instituted a practice where she wrote down her spending every day. Here it is close to the end of the month and her budget said $300/month for food and she's hit $317 so far and realizes she really needs more food for the end of the month... so do you start eating the rest of the eggs for the next few days or re-evaluate the use of your budget.
Thanks for the blog.. happy to see the message continually getting out there. Change can happen when we realize we can make simple changes to improve our quality of life at work and at home.
Yes I have had the exact some problem with gapbuster this month! They queried one of my reviews and it was immediate from the line of questioning that they were looking for an excuse not to pay for the assignment and then I received an email saying that they would not pay me. It seems very strange to me as the review wasn't critical it just simply stated the facts. I am now reluctant to give negative reviews for any of my assignments as it seems that they are looking for reasons not to pay people at the moment. I've been recommended two other companies by friends TNS and Acumen, I will work for them instead from now on.
Don't use ammonia if you have critters. it will only encourage them to pee on your clothes. Much better to use vinegar or oxiclean.
Shopper perspective: Re broken zippers, consider whether you can tolerate using a safety pin or some other "hack" to keep the zipper closed. Also, if a new zipper costs $7, but you can get the right color and size zipper from a $4 thrift-store garment, then it may be worth your while to teach yourself how to replace a zipper! It's like any skill that gets easier the more you do it.
Also: To save time and grief in the dressing room, know your measurements and take a tape measure with you to the store. Especially in women's clothes, the size numbers on tags are meaningless across brands. In one label's trousers I'm a 4P but I'm a 6A in another's. Phooey on that! I think I may start a notebook with what size my measurements mean to various designers.
Volunteer perspective: Re stuff too damaged to donate, thrift stores that know what they're doing will take unusable clothing because they can get some small amount of money for the weight, as @pam munro mentioned. You can call ahead of time and ask. You can also separate out the clothes you think are too junky and tell the staff, "This is just weight."
Julie,
This is always a balancing act for me: how much can I cut back on heating without making myself *feel* cold. I have a pretty low tolerance for being cold, and find myself getting seriously depressed, anxious and edgy when I'm chilled. Which leads to less productivity, and so less income. Plus I'm no fun to be around.
Sierra Black - embracing the wild heart of parenting at www.childwild.com
(1)re;pressure cooker,on the top of the cooker you should have a 1/8" plug/vent you can just p/u an adapter to go from 1/8 male thread to 1/4 compression fitting and run your copper tubingto your cooling vessel (2)the 1st300ml(12oz) should be tossed it contains impurities from the copper.(3)you'll want to keep the mash temp between 180deg. and 210deg,after212 deg. the water will begin to boil off also diluting your product(4) yes you can filter it through charcoal to take some of the bitterness off.(5) yes you can redistill it to get more impurities out but if you maintained the temp. between 180 and 210 you shouldnt have to do this it should be 140proof on the 1st run. i hope this helps good luck and good stillin
The government wants us to spend, spend, spend. They tell us the way out of the economic downturn is spending. Debt is just the way for us to spend more. Some people lead by example, look at the Government's deficit. I don' think the Government makes the best role model http://evolutionofwealth.com/2009/06/who-is-your-role-model/
It's running the still that's illegal. (And, of course, possessing, transporting, or selling the product of the still.)
Actually, it's even a little more complicated than that, in that it can be legal to distill ethanol for non-beverage purposes (such as to make ethanol fuel). There are, however, forms to be filed and rules to be followed. But just making beer or wine for your own household use is entirely legal and there are no special formalities that you need to follow.
ok sorry, one more question and i'll try to leave u alone :) you are allowed to make your own beer and wine, right? you just cant go past the fermenting stage to the distilling stage? and there is'nt anything wrong w/ buying essences to put into liquor that you buy, right? thank you very much ::)
My husband will appreciate this! He has been getting basically the same lunch for 4 years, this is great!
Our system is almost on automatic pilot. In November we make up a written budget for the following year. We generally know how much needs to go into each category from year to year. I make up the rough. We discuss changes, and reevaluate long term goals at that time.
Each of us is responsible to write down what they spend in each category. So if one of us picks up a prescription or buys gas they write it down. If there's a deficit we discuss, "where we're going to take it out of", and make the adjustments. Most of the time we keep under budget. If there is a horrible difference in a particular category, like the year our son broke his arm, I might rewrite the budget to accomodate, trimming from each of the other accounts to cover, and we talk about it.
Both of us can do all the budgeting functions but they're broken down this way: I write and keep the budget up, DH balances the check book and does the taxes. We don't charge something unless there's cash in the account. We pay for groceries in cash. We don't carry debt. Each of us a bit of personal spending money to do with what we want. That pretty much keeps things running smoothly.
The department of Motor vehicles sells all your info from addresses to S.S.# to whatever they have on you. Here is one I don't like either, I went to the local one stop job place in our county. They have a sign in sheet that you have to sign before you can even get a list of any job openings. Here is what they want: name, address, phone , birth date & last 4 digits of social security number. I refused to put it & asked if they had heard that anyone can figure S.S. number out if have last 4 digits & name & birth date. She said no. I told her to look it up on internet . they still make people do that. What if someone can remember numbers good, cause everyone coming in looks at this & signs it. I could easily remember enough for 2 people on it. Not good at all. What you think about that?