"Even the insurance companies are getting in on this, with some now offering co-pay discounts for splitting your meds. That's a saving on top of a saving."
Actually the insurance companies started this trend by changing their drug formularies. For them it's a cost-cutting measure which they pass on to their customers by (in many instances) mandating pill-splitting. In many cases this practice actually reduces patient adherence to medication especially for those on multiple medications.
Having worked in pharmacies I can say that most people dislike this practice, but as you suggest tough economic times are forcing people to rethink their opinion on the matter.
I have a question...would any of these methods work for the hood of the car that got slightly crushed but not so bad, it was a small accident but the hood is bent and i cannot open the hood where the latch is, any ideas?
Hello, I have been a customer of Netspend for almost 2 years now. I am quite satisfied with there service and have told many friends about it. I have never heard of them sending out a card to the people who we recomend as customers... thats a new one on me... As far as these fees goes they give you $5 to just activate your account... then $5 for each referal that activates theirs.... not to mention $5 if you earn 500 points in a month which is easy to do. The fees for checking your phone is 50 cents... although i personallty think its stupid you can check it free online along with loads of other things... like text alearts for transactions... or check a transaction... view history... etc... all free... you can either choses to be charged fees everytime you use it our do the 9.99 a month deal with no transaction fees... I have my SSI and disability comming to my card... and recieve them 5 days ahead of time... Netspend is not all bad...
We have just continued giving as we have other years. We probably won't send money to Haiti because it's not in our very-tight budget, but at this point we don't plan on decreasing our charitable giving.
My husband and I always talk about the importance of giving because we truly believe all are created equal and human life is precious. However, we never found an organization "perfect enough" to make a donation to, or we told ourselves that given our current financial situation it wouldn't be responsible to donate.
We decided last year that we needed to start putting our money where our mouth is and donate anyway.
So, our tip for giving? JUST DO IT. Don't wait for the perfect organization or when you have "money to burn." Give $20 or $50 or $100 when you feel compelled to give. Does a commercial tug at your heartstrings? Give. Is a service you patronize having a fundraiser? Give. Is an organization that works for a cause you care about asking for help? Give.
We probably gave away $500 our first year using this method, and we haven't missed one cent. The debts we have been working to eliminate are still getting paid down quickly and we still enjoy our previous comfortable lifestyle. We plan to stick with our "don't think about it, just give" approach indefinitely, and we'll probably be giving more next year.
...so I tend to give time to service-related projects more than money. That said, I try to donate at least some money each year. My favorite is Frosty's Friends, an organization that lets you buy a kid some presents at the holidays.
I lived just south of Erie, PA a couple years ago in an older home - the insulation wasn't so great. Here's an example of how turning back the thermostat just a small bit truly affects the bill. For reference, the home used natural gas forced air heat (age of furnace - 60 years old!), typical temps in the winter range from 10-35 deg. F, and the bill also covered my hot water heater.
NG Bill January 2007: $278, thermostat temp: 65
NG Bill February 2007: $174, t. temp: 60
NG Bill March 2007: $156, t. temp: 58
I don't recommend EVER living in a home with a (forced air) furnace that old or poor insulation. Another lesson learned on my part...
7 degrees made a difference of $122/month on the bill. Considering you can expect fairly high heating bills from November-April, turning the temp back was INDEED a big savings. I turned it back even further to 55, but the difference wasn't enough to justify the cold.
Now that I live in a slightly warmer area and use purely electric heat (heat pump), with all home electric usage - heat, hot water, appliances, etc. - an affordable bill ($150ish) is attained keeping the heat at 60-65 range.
I'm game to turn my thermostat waaay down--but in addition to fearing frozen pipes, I've realized that my fridge doesn't run if the temperature is under about 57 degrees. I've been forced to keep my poorly insulated condo at around 60 all time, or run the risk of perishable food going bad. The condo is pretty much open plan, so this means I'm heating a huge amount of space all the time, even when I'm not there. :b
I decided to work on the gas bill this winter, so I'm set at 61 in the daytime, 57 at night. I wear a sweater, socks and ankle-covering slippers at home. I have a little portable space heater for when I take a shower. It has worked fine, and my highest bill so far has been $100, compared to around $175 last year.
I don't have dependent care expenses, so that part is irrelevant. But my husband does have a 401(k), and if that credit becomes refundable that would mean $400-500 back to us in our return. If it doesn't it won't mean anything to me. With 4 kids, we don't make enough to end up owing tax.
@Cwaltz, I had similar concerns when I started canning — along with some worries about the safety of pressure cooking. It's a skill, like anything else, and you've got to build up some confidence.
@FrugalZen, Many states offer advice through extension offices even in suburban area, although it's a lot rarer to see facilities that people could use without cost.
Really we can't file our taxes for 2009 with these credits? Really? I was so hoping that there would be some tax relief. We went from a double income to a single this year, had a baby, bought a house, I claimed no dependents on my income and my husband claimed one and we still might have to pay (although we are working through this and it may be a mistake). We don't earn a lot of money and I am tired of giving it all to the government. Please tell me for once this is more than just a feel good speech.
We often give baked goods like cookies, brownies and other treats. It's a cheap way to say thank you to your local fire department, friends and neighbors.
Currently in survival mode, but I will donate good used clothing this year to local consignment shop that benefits the school children in my community and I will donate numerous health and beauty items from my stockpile to a local women's shelter. There will also be several local food drives where I will donate at least a case of canned vegetables each time.
If I lived alone I would always keep the thermostat at 60 degrees during the day, but as a parent, I worry that the kids (and their friends) would get cold. So instead, I keep the thermostat at 64 degrees while he kids are getting ready for school and in the late afternoon when they get home, and at 60 while they're gone. But I have noticed on the odd weekday when there's no school that they're perfectly content and deny any chilliness. (This, despite their insistence on wearing T-shirts in the dead of winter.)
In fact, I get uncomfortably warm when I go to people's houses that are set at 68 degrees.
Your article has inspired me to challenge myself a little further and to ramp it down another notch to 63 degrees.
Let's see if any notices . . . .
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
These aren't real cuts for the whole middle class. As you mentioned, they're too narrow and will not make a significant difference for most people.
These cuts benefit Obama the most. Now he can claim he made tax cuts for the middle class. That's all he wanted really-- the ability to make that claim.
I rent, so I'm at the mercy of the landlord's failure to properly insulate my townhome. And his hardwood floors are lovely, but chilly! I have lots of area rugs, and I lap small ones against the bottoms of outside doors to block cold air from rushing in. Have hung quilts (clothespinned) to the backs of my thermal curtains for extra insulation at the windows, along with plastic taped over the windward windows (It's dark in here). The two front windows are getting the shrink-wrap treatment this weekend!
I've been determined to beat the electric company on their estimates for my budget plan every year, and consistently I've dropped the monthly billing, until this year - they've filed for several rate increases and it's going up a LOT! I've had the thermostat set at 60 when I'm not there or asleep for over a month, but I'm inspired now to drop it lower.
On my two-bedroom townhouse in the mid-Atlantic region of the US and keeping my thermostat at 68 when I was home and 64 at night and during working hours, I was paying approximately $65 per month - total electric, of course. ;(
In December (coldest month in years, lots of snow and high winds with dangerous wind chills) my bill jumped to $150 (thankfully I had a credit balance at that point). I hadn't changed a thing in my usage, the furnace just ran that much.
That also reflects their rate increase.
Hopefully the changes I've made will drop it down - I guess I'll see in two weeks when the bill comes in.
I live in an apartment building with radiator heat so we have no control over the temperature. The heat is either on or off, and we control how tropical it gets by opening and closing the windows. It's a little like living in a college dorm. But we also have an infant, and I'm not sure I'd embrace living in a 55-degree house with a tiny person around. I don't really want to put her down to sleep in 18 layers, and you're not supposed to use blankets until they're at least a year old for various reasons. Many of the suggestions here make sense--don't heat unused rooms, wear layers, get a programmable thermostat--but I wouldn't keep it arctic in a home with children in it.
Won't help me at all--my only dependent is 23, in his senior year of college and he carries the loans in his name...we pay over $1000 a month in college expenses (housing, food, medical insurance, car insurance, car payment and cell phone bill) for him but we can't deduct a dime of it...only if we paid the college bills now...we won't pick those up until he graduates and gets a real job to cover his own expenses. His little part time college job barely covers gas money, textbooks, clothing and other school out of pocket expenses. in So Cal.
My husband is already collecting a pension and I already contribute to a retirement program- but it's not one of the ones that qualifies because I work for a Church and we contribute to a different system- but seriously, as if up to $1000 a YEAR for deductions will actually help the middle class? He's joking, right?
We give a set amount (%) of our income each paycheck and that way we never even see the money so we don't miss it (It works much like our savings plans where we just automatically set aside a given amount each week/month.
This is the first winter in 3 years that my rent has not included electricity, so I really didn't know what to expect. I'm in Virginia. My bill went from $87 for November to $159 for December. I was shocked! Normally I keep my thermostat at 70 degrees and I am comfy except for my fingers, which get cold. Now I have the thermostat at 68. Not too bad. Not as bad as I expected. I do try to spend as much time upstairs where it is a bit warmer, though. This article has inspired me to try 67 degrees now. Thanks!
Giving of your time and money are equally important. When you can't help out physically in a place that has been devastated like Haiti, send money! If it would be more beneficial to give your time to causes locally (soup kitchens, big brother/sister, etc) then do that!
We personally give 10% to our church and sponsor a child through Compassion International. Since we paid off the car and paid for the last semester of DH's tuition, we have started saving an additional $200 per month for "missions." This typically will accumulate for mission trips but if we find out a family needs something, we use this money for that also.
Since I've lived in mostly tropical places growing up, I don't really have a sense for how much heating can affect your utility bill. How significant of a difference will turning your thermostat down from 75 to 65 degrees make? Over the course of winter what kind of savings could you roughly expect to save. I know that there's a lot of things at play here size of house, insulation, how cold it gets, but how much do you guys think you're saving?
I like to give to the animal rescue groups where my pets came from. The rescue groups really need the help and do such a wonderful, tireless job helping the many discarded animals in our city.
I also donate to a mission which feeds the homeless and also to public radio which I enjoy.
To stretch the giving dollar, I donate to the organization, then file for a "matching contribution" from the company where I work. This effectively doubles the donation to each organization.
"Even the insurance companies are getting in on this, with some now offering co-pay discounts for splitting your meds. That's a saving on top of a saving."
Actually the insurance companies started this trend by changing their drug formularies. For them it's a cost-cutting measure which they pass on to their customers by (in many instances) mandating pill-splitting. In many cases this practice actually reduces patient adherence to medication especially for those on multiple medications.
Having worked in pharmacies I can say that most people dislike this practice, but as you suggest tough economic times are forcing people to rethink their opinion on the matter.
I have a question...would any of these methods work for the hood of the car that got slightly crushed but not so bad, it was a small accident but the hood is bent and i cannot open the hood where the latch is, any ideas?
Hello, I have been a customer of Netspend for almost 2 years now. I am quite satisfied with there service and have told many friends about it. I have never heard of them sending out a card to the people who we recomend as customers... thats a new one on me... As far as these fees goes they give you $5 to just activate your account... then $5 for each referal that activates theirs.... not to mention $5 if you earn 500 points in a month which is easy to do. The fees for checking your phone is 50 cents... although i personallty think its stupid you can check it free online along with loads of other things... like text alearts for transactions... or check a transaction... view history... etc... all free... you can either choses to be charged fees everytime you use it our do the 9.99 a month deal with no transaction fees... I have my SSI and disability comming to my card... and recieve them 5 days ahead of time... Netspend is not all bad...
We have just continued giving as we have other years. We probably won't send money to Haiti because it's not in our very-tight budget, but at this point we don't plan on decreasing our charitable giving.
My husband and I always talk about the importance of giving because we truly believe all are created equal and human life is precious. However, we never found an organization "perfect enough" to make a donation to, or we told ourselves that given our current financial situation it wouldn't be responsible to donate.
We decided last year that we needed to start putting our money where our mouth is and donate anyway.
So, our tip for giving? JUST DO IT. Don't wait for the perfect organization or when you have "money to burn." Give $20 or $50 or $100 when you feel compelled to give. Does a commercial tug at your heartstrings? Give. Is a service you patronize having a fundraiser? Give. Is an organization that works for a cause you care about asking for help? Give.
We probably gave away $500 our first year using this method, and we haven't missed one cent. The debts we have been working to eliminate are still getting paid down quickly and we still enjoy our previous comfortable lifestyle. We plan to stick with our "don't think about it, just give" approach indefinitely, and we'll probably be giving more next year.
...so I tend to give time to service-related projects more than money. That said, I try to donate at least some money each year. My favorite is Frosty's Friends, an organization that lets you buy a kid some presents at the holidays.
I lived just south of Erie, PA a couple years ago in an older home - the insulation wasn't so great. Here's an example of how turning back the thermostat just a small bit truly affects the bill. For reference, the home used natural gas forced air heat (age of furnace - 60 years old!), typical temps in the winter range from 10-35 deg. F, and the bill also covered my hot water heater.
NG Bill January 2007: $278, thermostat temp: 65
NG Bill February 2007: $174, t. temp: 60
NG Bill March 2007: $156, t. temp: 58
I don't recommend EVER living in a home with a (forced air) furnace that old or poor insulation. Another lesson learned on my part...
7 degrees made a difference of $122/month on the bill. Considering you can expect fairly high heating bills from November-April, turning the temp back was INDEED a big savings. I turned it back even further to 55, but the difference wasn't enough to justify the cold.
Now that I live in a slightly warmer area and use purely electric heat (heat pump), with all home electric usage - heat, hot water, appliances, etc. - an affordable bill ($150ish) is attained keeping the heat at 60-65 range.
Will you benefit from these tax changes?
No.
Will these tax credits save middle class America?
Hahahahahahahahahahaha (gasp) hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
No.
Just more worthless words from the Empty Suit.
I'm game to turn my thermostat waaay down--but in addition to fearing frozen pipes, I've realized that my fridge doesn't run if the temperature is under about 57 degrees. I've been forced to keep my poorly insulated condo at around 60 all time, or run the risk of perishable food going bad. The condo is pretty much open plan, so this means I'm heating a huge amount of space all the time, even when I'm not there. :b
I decided to work on the gas bill this winter, so I'm set at 61 in the daytime, 57 at night. I wear a sweater, socks and ankle-covering slippers at home. I have a little portable space heater for when I take a shower. It has worked fine, and my highest bill so far has been $100, compared to around $175 last year.
I don't have dependent care expenses, so that part is irrelevant. But my husband does have a 401(k), and if that credit becomes refundable that would mean $400-500 back to us in our return. If it doesn't it won't mean anything to me. With 4 kids, we don't make enough to end up owing tax.
@Cwaltz, I had similar concerns when I started canning — along with some worries about the safety of pressure cooking. It's a skill, like anything else, and you've got to build up some confidence.
@FrugalZen, Many states offer advice through extension offices even in suburban area, although it's a lot rarer to see facilities that people could use without cost.
Really we can't file our taxes for 2009 with these credits? Really? I was so hoping that there would be some tax relief. We went from a double income to a single this year, had a baby, bought a house, I claimed no dependents on my income and my husband claimed one and we still might have to pay (although we are working through this and it may be a mistake). We don't earn a lot of money and I am tired of giving it all to the government. Please tell me for once this is more than just a feel good speech.
We often give baked goods like cookies, brownies and other treats. It's a cheap way to say thank you to your local fire department, friends and neighbors.
Currently in survival mode, but I will donate good used clothing this year to local consignment shop that benefits the school children in my community and I will donate numerous health and beauty items from my stockpile to a local women's shelter. There will also be several local food drives where I will donate at least a case of canned vegetables each time.
Love, thy name is programmable thermostat.
If I lived alone I would always keep the thermostat at 60 degrees during the day, but as a parent, I worry that the kids (and their friends) would get cold. So instead, I keep the thermostat at 64 degrees while he kids are getting ready for school and in the late afternoon when they get home, and at 60 while they're gone. But I have noticed on the odd weekday when there's no school that they're perfectly content and deny any chilliness. (This, despite their insistence on wearing T-shirts in the dead of winter.)
In fact, I get uncomfortably warm when I go to people's houses that are set at 68 degrees.
Your article has inspired me to challenge myself a little further and to ramp it down another notch to 63 degrees.
Let's see if any notices . . . .
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
These aren't real cuts for the whole middle class. As you mentioned, they're too narrow and will not make a significant difference for most people.
These cuts benefit Obama the most. Now he can claim he made tax cuts for the middle class. That's all he wanted really-- the ability to make that claim.
I rent, so I'm at the mercy of the landlord's failure to properly insulate my townhome. And his hardwood floors are lovely, but chilly! I have lots of area rugs, and I lap small ones against the bottoms of outside doors to block cold air from rushing in. Have hung quilts (clothespinned) to the backs of my thermal curtains for extra insulation at the windows, along with plastic taped over the windward windows (It's dark in here). The two front windows are getting the shrink-wrap treatment this weekend!
I've been determined to beat the electric company on their estimates for my budget plan every year, and consistently I've dropped the monthly billing, until this year - they've filed for several rate increases and it's going up a LOT! I've had the thermostat set at 60 when I'm not there or asleep for over a month, but I'm inspired now to drop it lower.
On my two-bedroom townhouse in the mid-Atlantic region of the US and keeping my thermostat at 68 when I was home and 64 at night and during working hours, I was paying approximately $65 per month - total electric, of course. ;(
In December (coldest month in years, lots of snow and high winds with dangerous wind chills) my bill jumped to $150 (thankfully I had a credit balance at that point). I hadn't changed a thing in my usage, the furnace just ran that much.
That also reflects their rate increase.
Hopefully the changes I've made will drop it down - I guess I'll see in two weeks when the bill comes in.
I live in an apartment building with radiator heat so we have no control over the temperature. The heat is either on or off, and we control how tropical it gets by opening and closing the windows. It's a little like living in a college dorm. But we also have an infant, and I'm not sure I'd embrace living in a 55-degree house with a tiny person around. I don't really want to put her down to sleep in 18 layers, and you're not supposed to use blankets until they're at least a year old for various reasons. Many of the suggestions here make sense--don't heat unused rooms, wear layers, get a programmable thermostat--but I wouldn't keep it arctic in a home with children in it.
Won't help me at all--my only dependent is 23, in his senior year of college and he carries the loans in his name...we pay over $1000 a month in college expenses (housing, food, medical insurance, car insurance, car payment and cell phone bill) for him but we can't deduct a dime of it...only if we paid the college bills now...we won't pick those up until he graduates and gets a real job to cover his own expenses. His little part time college job barely covers gas money, textbooks, clothing and other school out of pocket expenses. in So Cal.
My husband is already collecting a pension and I already contribute to a retirement program- but it's not one of the ones that qualifies because I work for a Church and we contribute to a different system- but seriously, as if up to $1000 a YEAR for deductions will actually help the middle class? He's joking, right?
We give a set amount (%) of our income each paycheck and that way we never even see the money so we don't miss it (It works much like our savings plans where we just automatically set aside a given amount each week/month.
This is the first winter in 3 years that my rent has not included electricity, so I really didn't know what to expect. I'm in Virginia. My bill went from $87 for November to $159 for December. I was shocked! Normally I keep my thermostat at 70 degrees and I am comfy except for my fingers, which get cold. Now I have the thermostat at 68. Not too bad. Not as bad as I expected. I do try to spend as much time upstairs where it is a bit warmer, though. This article has inspired me to try 67 degrees now. Thanks!
Giving of your time and money are equally important. When you can't help out physically in a place that has been devastated like Haiti, send money! If it would be more beneficial to give your time to causes locally (soup kitchens, big brother/sister, etc) then do that!
We personally give 10% to our church and sponsor a child through Compassion International. Since we paid off the car and paid for the last semester of DH's tuition, we have started saving an additional $200 per month for "missions." This typically will accumulate for mission trips but if we find out a family needs something, we use this money for that also.
Since I've lived in mostly tropical places growing up, I don't really have a sense for how much heating can affect your utility bill. How significant of a difference will turning your thermostat down from 75 to 65 degrees make? Over the course of winter what kind of savings could you roughly expect to save. I know that there's a lot of things at play here size of house, insulation, how cold it gets, but how much do you guys think you're saving?
I like to give to the animal rescue groups where my pets came from. The rescue groups really need the help and do such a wonderful, tireless job helping the many discarded animals in our city.
I also donate to a mission which feeds the homeless and also to public radio which I enjoy.
To stretch the giving dollar, I donate to the organization, then file for a "matching contribution" from the company where I work. This effectively doubles the donation to each organization.