I was introduced to electric tea kettles by British coworkers. They all seemed to get one to bring in to work so that they could make tea and other hot beverages. When they returned home, they bequeathed them to various members of our group and one now resides in my cube. It gets filled and used multiple times a day by the tea and hot chocolate drinkers and instant oatmeal eaters. It's faster than the microwave, doesn't taste like stale coffe (which is a problem is you just run hot water through a seldomly cleaned coffee maker) and passes all of the company fire regulations for small appliances.
Great invention and a great gift idea.
I'm only 31 but I can relate to 1/2 these including no. 18 :( I forgot about how poor we were and how much my mother tried to make things work for us. I guess I know where my frugailty comes from and why I am content with just enough vs a consumerist mindthought of more, better, more, better.
I got a stainless one (Hamilton Beach) that does not have the odor problem mentioned in the online reviews at your link. Got one for work and one for home--they are awesome!
I know that a lot of people receive these and never use them, but the bread machine is probably the most used thing in my kitchen after the stove and the dishwasher. I bought it new (still sealed in the original package) at my local thrift store for $25, and I make 1-2 loaves a week in it to start with, but then it is also used for pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, sandwich buns, breadsticks, pita bread, ect... I buy the ingredients in bulk (just these ingredients alone pays for my CostCo membership) and it costs me an average of 45-60 cents a loaf/recipe (depending on what type of flour that I use). The best part is that it tastes so much better than store-bought bread, and I can control the ingredients that do (and don't) go into the recipe.
To piggy back on the cooking idea whenever you use your oven leave the door open after wards the heat you have already paid for will waft it's way into your kitchen. For around ten dollars you can buy a louvered vent for your dryer and instead of heating the backyard vent that heat into your house. Either just let it run in the laundry room or add some vent hose and move it to another space. We vent ours through an old exsisting floor vent and pipe it right to the kitchen. My family of four uses roughly 5 hours of dryer heat a week why waste it???
I bought an electric kettle as a gift for an elderly family member this year. I have no idea why these things haven't caught on more in the states. This particular family member is very hard of hearing and didn't hear it when her traditional teakettle ran dry. The kettle caught on fire! I consider this purchase to be a major safety precaution :)
Also, electric kettles can be used to keep your cooking fluid of choice hot while making risotto. Thanks, Alton Brown, for that tip!
Probably cheaper than a space heater--energy costs are slightly lower and it uses materials you likely already have on hand--is a hot water bottle. I use a Nalgene filled with water boiled in the electric kettle. At first I stuffed it in a sock to keep it from getting too hot on my skin, but now I've sewn a simple felt drawstring bag for it. Works great either way under the covers to keep me toasty all night. It's often still a little warm in the mornings!
Ok so has anyone used an Aluminum pot for your kettle? Are there really any “bad” effects when using Aluminum? I know a lot of beer brewers that use Aluminum pots from turkey fryers with no problems.
Laid off this past spring, I was on severance until September and this coming February I will be starting social security ... early; at 62. This certainly wasn't our plan (I was going to work until 66). But staying flexible we've sort of landed on our feet ... since my spouse is only 48 and we were able to switch to health insurance through her employer, we have moved back closer to family, bought a smaller home and are pretty much the living example of what you wrote. I had several years of my previous salary already in my 401k at the time of my layoff ... it did go down in value and we got scared but it's now coming back up (slowly) and we have reason to be optimistic that, by tightening our belts, learning new skills, being flexible and taking life with heavy doses of joy & love we'll be OK. Initially that glass looked only half empty, now we've poured what we have into a smaller glass and it's nearly full ... and we're much happier for it. Thank you for a wonderful blog.
I think the one about keeping the cold out is the most important. Just this week my wife and I hung some wreaths on our windows for Christmas. We have the older double-hung wooden windows so we hung the wreaths down from the top sash using a ribbon wedged between the sash and the top sill. We had to secure some of the wreaths with tape though because the fit between the window and the sill was not tight enough to keep the ribbon in place in all cases. Big wake up call! We're probably losing a lot of heat around those windows.
As a financial planner I have recommended all of my clients to maximize contributions to Qualified Retirement Plans and showed the huge impact this was has on building wealth faster.
One key to building wealth is “Don’t turn down free money!”. When you maximize contributions to your qualified retirement plans you accept free money from three sources:
1) The taxes you normally owe the government,
2) The interest earned on the government’s tax dollars which are now inside your retirement plan and
I like the idea of very small homes, and have looked into the Tumbleweed homes even, but in the end I know it wont work. Me and my fiance are looking to buy or build our first home together and I know that probably anything under 2,000 square feet won't work. We have pets; cats, dogs and parrots. Though it's really the bird cages that are bulky, if I just had cats I could probably survive in a couple hundred square feet. I also need bookshelf space for my ample library I have built over the years. An art/dance studio is a must and my fiance wants his own office. And since we plan on children we need at least a three bedroom house if not more. So in the end, even though I look at small abodes and dream of minimalism, it's just not meant to be, at least not in this lifetime. On the other hand, I don't plan on getting anything too large. I want to find the perfect space, perfectly functional, without feeling claustrophobic or cluttered, with room for our family to grow.
huh thanks for this, I will definately check it out. I dont come from a wealthy family, however I am becoming more well off than my family. I never thought about living off of capital before. You have given me something new to learn!
Very good ideas. I had a heater from target, I paid $20 and it lasted about 6 months. It got me through the winter, but it is definately not a long term solution.
Why are you angry with your bank? Did they spend the money? It seems to me you're upset they don't settle transactions on the weekend, If they had, you probably would have had more fees(look at it again)
There is no reason to pay a bank fee. They're easily avoidable. You said so yourself. You don't keep your register like you should. There's a cost associated with that. You unfortunately had to pay it. I have before as well, 16 in one day. It was not my banks fault I did not keep my account properly. I was an adult(well, just barely, 18) and I took responsibility for it. Then I started maintaining my account and only spending my money, not theirs. And always remember, a check is just a piece of paper until it's collected. Collection can take as little as next day, to several days. Thank the government that your check is made available to you next day in most cases even though it's not collected.
Enjoy Royal Bank of Scotland. You are aware that is what RBS stands for right?
The funny part is, your bank probably actually valued your relationship when you did not. They paid your student loan payment when you did not have the money in the bank to pay it. Banks do that if you've been with them for awhile to avoid your embarrassment(and not to mention the added cost of a returned check from the student loan company and potentially losing a favorable rate, often an incentive offered by student loans and credit cards)
I think you owe that Manager an apology. I think I would also like to know how you sleep at night to personally attack someone like that when it's your fault, not theirs.
Now, your argument is, "I don't do this all the time, I should get an exception" Lets answer that this way. You have two people in front of you. One is absolutely horrible at keeping their account and gets 12 overdrafts a month. The other, slacks a little but usually has enough money to cover it and gets a couple. Would you, 1. waive for the customer with $500 in overdraft charges to help them so they can actually buy groceries? Or 2. waive for the one time overdraft just because it's an inconvenience?
And again, I have to re-state after reading some more of the comments. HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT? Personally attacking someone doing their job is completely unacceptable. Your bank, and "Submitted by Guest on December 7, 2009 - 12:00."'s credit card
hey, check out ooma. it works like vonage, meaning no computer needed (like you need with magic jack) and its 200 or 250 bucks and good for the life of the unit. no monthly costs. i bought mine about a year ago and love it. i tell as many people as i can. all it does is hook up to the router so you don't need your computer running. then you buy a set of 4 portable phones, plug one into the ooma box, and the rest of the phones will all ring. i love it. i'd even call you on it so you can hear the quality. the only time it costs money is if you want any of the special features, like a virtual second phone line. i don't need any of these features so, it doesn't cost me any money per month.
We're into our 3rd year of using the Magic Jack. There's been a glitch here and there, but nothing we haven't been able to resolve easily. We've saved at least $2000 so far.
It's great being able to talk without the preoccupation and pressure of how much the call is costing us. I've never regretted allowing that cheesy late night infomercial tempt me into trying the Magic Jack! :)
Yesterday I received 24 bottles of lager from a weekly magazine because I had written the best letter to the editor last week.
Last night I wrote to some friends asking their advice on what I should do with them. My brother-in-law says it can be used as shampoo/conditioner (if you're looking through beer goggles your hair will always look wonderful!), a friend says his wife uses it for making bread and my sister says a mature drinker might not misuse the liquor I've been given. And one special friend gave me a link to this website.
I don't think I have yet found the ideal use for the alcohol I've been given. I could use the bottles to club snails!
I'm a teetotaller because 1/ the liquor industry causes too much misery for people, so I'm boycotting the industry, 2/ I can easily get hooked on unproductive activites (such as playing Minesweeper or Solitaire on the computer or playing Sudoku) and I'm sure I'm in less danger of developing a dependancy if I never start, 3/ I want to be a good example for other people--there are too many people who think they need alcohol to have a good time and I want to show them that I can have a good time without ever using alcohol. Being given 'free' beer isn't enough to change my mind on a sober policy I've held for a long time.
Ahead of investing any more of your time and effort in credit card debt elimination, you should consider if debt settlement is the right option for you. The first question you have to ask is "Do you have a legitimate financial hardship?"
I'm surprised there's no mention of SkypeOut as a cheap calling solution. Though I have to admit the Ooma looks pretty good.
I was introduced to electric tea kettles by British coworkers. They all seemed to get one to bring in to work so that they could make tea and other hot beverages. When they returned home, they bequeathed them to various members of our group and one now resides in my cube. It gets filled and used multiple times a day by the tea and hot chocolate drinkers and instant oatmeal eaters. It's faster than the microwave, doesn't taste like stale coffe (which is a problem is you just run hot water through a seldomly cleaned coffee maker) and passes all of the company fire regulations for small appliances.
Great invention and a great gift idea.
I'm only 31 but I can relate to 1/2 these including no. 18 :( I forgot about how poor we were and how much my mother tried to make things work for us. I guess I know where my frugailty comes from and why I am content with just enough vs a consumerist mindthought of more, better, more, better.
I got a stainless one (Hamilton Beach) that does not have the odor problem mentioned in the online reviews at your link. Got one for work and one for home--they are awesome!
I know that a lot of people receive these and never use them, but the bread machine is probably the most used thing in my kitchen after the stove and the dishwasher. I bought it new (still sealed in the original package) at my local thrift store for $25, and I make 1-2 loaves a week in it to start with, but then it is also used for pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, sandwich buns, breadsticks, pita bread, ect... I buy the ingredients in bulk (just these ingredients alone pays for my CostCo membership) and it costs me an average of 45-60 cents a loaf/recipe (depending on what type of flour that I use). The best part is that it tastes so much better than store-bought bread, and I can control the ingredients that do (and don't) go into the recipe.
To piggy back on the cooking idea whenever you use your oven leave the door open after wards the heat you have already paid for will waft it's way into your kitchen. For around ten dollars you can buy a louvered vent for your dryer and instead of heating the backyard vent that heat into your house. Either just let it run in the laundry room or add some vent hose and move it to another space. We vent ours through an old exsisting floor vent and pipe it right to the kitchen. My family of four uses roughly 5 hours of dryer heat a week why waste it???
I bought an electric kettle as a gift for an elderly family member this year. I have no idea why these things haven't caught on more in the states. This particular family member is very hard of hearing and didn't hear it when her traditional teakettle ran dry. The kettle caught on fire! I consider this purchase to be a major safety precaution :)
Also, electric kettles can be used to keep your cooking fluid of choice hot while making risotto. Thanks, Alton Brown, for that tip!
Probably cheaper than a space heater--energy costs are slightly lower and it uses materials you likely already have on hand--is a hot water bottle. I use a Nalgene filled with water boiled in the electric kettle. At first I stuffed it in a sock to keep it from getting too hot on my skin, but now I've sewn a simple felt drawstring bag for it. Works great either way under the covers to keep me toasty all night. It's often still a little warm in the mornings!
Ok so has anyone used an Aluminum pot for your kettle? Are there really any “bad” effects when using Aluminum? I know a lot of beer brewers that use Aluminum pots from turkey fryers with no problems.
Ouch...the correct link is: http://www.bit.ly/dele_resume
Laid off this past spring, I was on severance until September and this coming February I will be starting social security ... early; at 62. This certainly wasn't our plan (I was going to work until 66). But staying flexible we've sort of landed on our feet ... since my spouse is only 48 and we were able to switch to health insurance through her employer, we have moved back closer to family, bought a smaller home and are pretty much the living example of what you wrote. I had several years of my previous salary already in my 401k at the time of my layoff ... it did go down in value and we got scared but it's now coming back up (slowly) and we have reason to be optimistic that, by tightening our belts, learning new skills, being flexible and taking life with heavy doses of joy & love we'll be OK. Initially that glass looked only half empty, now we've poured what we have into a smaller glass and it's nearly full ... and we're much happier for it. Thank you for a wonderful blog.
I think the one about keeping the cold out is the most important. Just this week my wife and I hung some wreaths on our windows for Christmas. We have the older double-hung wooden windows so we hung the wreaths down from the top sash using a ribbon wedged between the sash and the top sill. We had to secure some of the wreaths with tape though because the fit between the window and the sill was not tight enough to keep the ribbon in place in all cases. Big wake up call! We're probably losing a lot of heat around those windows.
You forgot the most important, easiest, and funnest one!!!
LIQUOR!!! LOL LOL
Seriously, adding a little glass of holiday cheer to one of those frigid winter evenings certainly never hurt anybody.
Great post
As a financial planner I have recommended all of my clients to maximize contributions to Qualified Retirement Plans and showed the huge impact this was has on building wealth faster.
One key to building wealth is “Don’t turn down free money!”. When you maximize contributions to your qualified retirement plans you accept free money from three sources:
1) The taxes you normally owe the government,
2) The interest earned on the government’s tax dollars which are now inside your retirement plan and
3) The interest earned on the interest.
Read more in my blog: http://www.peoplesfinancialadvisor.com/personalfinance/?p=20
I' ve read your comments and it was helpful for me to know what do people feel when they hate their job. Becoase my exam theme is a job you hate:))
I like the idea of very small homes, and have looked into the Tumbleweed homes even, but in the end I know it wont work. Me and my fiance are looking to buy or build our first home together and I know that probably anything under 2,000 square feet won't work. We have pets; cats, dogs and parrots. Though it's really the bird cages that are bulky, if I just had cats I could probably survive in a couple hundred square feet. I also need bookshelf space for my ample library I have built over the years. An art/dance studio is a must and my fiance wants his own office. And since we plan on children we need at least a three bedroom house if not more. So in the end, even though I look at small abodes and dream of minimalism, it's just not meant to be, at least not in this lifetime. On the other hand, I don't plan on getting anything too large. I want to find the perfect space, perfectly functional, without feeling claustrophobic or cluttered, with room for our family to grow.
awesome post!
huh thanks for this, I will definately check it out. I dont come from a wealthy family, however I am becoming more well off than my family. I never thought about living off of capital before. You have given me something new to learn!
Very good ideas. I had a heater from target, I paid $20 and it lasted about 6 months. It got me through the winter, but it is definately not a long term solution.
It is not the bank's job to babysit your account. Just wanted to clarify that point.
Why are you angry with your bank? Did they spend the money? It seems to me you're upset they don't settle transactions on the weekend, If they had, you probably would have had more fees(look at it again)
There is no reason to pay a bank fee. They're easily avoidable. You said so yourself. You don't keep your register like you should. There's a cost associated with that. You unfortunately had to pay it. I have before as well, 16 in one day. It was not my banks fault I did not keep my account properly. I was an adult(well, just barely, 18) and I took responsibility for it. Then I started maintaining my account and only spending my money, not theirs. And always remember, a check is just a piece of paper until it's collected. Collection can take as little as next day, to several days. Thank the government that your check is made available to you next day in most cases even though it's not collected.
Enjoy Royal Bank of Scotland. You are aware that is what RBS stands for right?
The funny part is, your bank probably actually valued your relationship when you did not. They paid your student loan payment when you did not have the money in the bank to pay it. Banks do that if you've been with them for awhile to avoid your embarrassment(and not to mention the added cost of a returned check from the student loan company and potentially losing a favorable rate, often an incentive offered by student loans and credit cards)
I think you owe that Manager an apology. I think I would also like to know how you sleep at night to personally attack someone like that when it's your fault, not theirs.
Now, your argument is, "I don't do this all the time, I should get an exception" Lets answer that this way. You have two people in front of you. One is absolutely horrible at keeping their account and gets 12 overdrafts a month. The other, slacks a little but usually has enough money to cover it and gets a couple. Would you, 1. waive for the customer with $500 in overdraft charges to help them so they can actually buy groceries? Or 2. waive for the one time overdraft just because it's an inconvenience?
And again, I have to re-state after reading some more of the comments. HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT? Personally attacking someone doing their job is completely unacceptable. Your bank, and "Submitted by Guest on December 7, 2009 - 12:00."'s credit card
hey, check out ooma. it works like vonage, meaning no computer needed (like you need with magic jack) and its 200 or 250 bucks and good for the life of the unit. no monthly costs. i bought mine about a year ago and love it. i tell as many people as i can. all it does is hook up to the router so you don't need your computer running. then you buy a set of 4 portable phones, plug one into the ooma box, and the rest of the phones will all ring. i love it. i'd even call you on it so you can hear the quality. the only time it costs money is if you want any of the special features, like a virtual second phone line. i don't need any of these features so, it doesn't cost me any money per month.
joshua
Great review! I really enjoy your site.
We're into our 3rd year of using the Magic Jack. There's been a glitch here and there, but nothing we haven't been able to resolve easily. We've saved at least $2000 so far.
It's great being able to talk without the preoccupation and pressure of how much the call is costing us. I've never regretted allowing that cheesy late night infomercial tempt me into trying the Magic Jack! :)
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Yesterday I received 24 bottles of lager from a weekly magazine because I had written the best letter to the editor last week.
Last night I wrote to some friends asking their advice on what I should do with them. My brother-in-law says it can be used as shampoo/conditioner (if you're looking through beer goggles your hair will always look wonderful!), a friend says his wife uses it for making bread and my sister says a mature drinker might not misuse the liquor I've been given. And one special friend gave me a link to this website.
I don't think I have yet found the ideal use for the alcohol I've been given. I could use the bottles to club snails!
I'm a teetotaller because 1/ the liquor industry causes too much misery for people, so I'm boycotting the industry, 2/ I can easily get hooked on unproductive activites (such as playing Minesweeper or Solitaire on the computer or playing Sudoku) and I'm sure I'm in less danger of developing a dependancy if I never start, 3/ I want to be a good example for other people--there are too many people who think they need alcohol to have a good time and I want to show them that I can have a good time without ever using alcohol. Being given 'free' beer isn't enough to change my mind on a sober policy I've held for a long time.
Cheers!
Nigel
Ahead of investing any more of your time and effort in credit card debt elimination, you should consider if debt settlement is the right option for you. The first question you have to ask is "Do you have a legitimate financial hardship?"