I'm sorry but I cannot trust the government in this regard. Medicare/Medicaid fraud and waste is rampant with little hope of resolution. I cannot see public health care being any better. The whole thing smells fishy to me. What will govt mandate next?
The financial undressing should be sometime after you first talk about shacking up and the day before you sign any rental agreement together. Really bad credit and debt is like financial STD's. It's best to let the other person know before you take it to the next step, or else you both will be sorry.
I really agree with your last piece of advice...it makes it easier to manage activities versus time. It helps you break down big projects into more more manageable pieces. It also help you keep track of what you are doing and what you need to do.
Actually, I was a bit surprised, when I learned that Amazon was selling cotton socks.I buy from Amazon re-sellers all the time. I haven't had any more (or less) problems with them than I've had with any other internet vendors.
Recently I came to know that there is a website named AmazingWatcher.Com which is a free website that will “watch” items for you on Amazon and let you know when amazon has them in stock at regular retail price.It got so awesome!
Good luck everybody!
I also found a GREAT way to save the environment by using filtered water bottles, I love the NEW stainless steel from BackToTheTap.com they carry a great line of filtered water bottles that adjust to your budget.. from $15 to $35, and you can use this great bottles over 3months or MORE, then just replace the filter and re-use them again... GREAT for the environment, and also for ON THE GO!!! :)
They are BPA Free and also donate $1 to Earth Share Foundation.
Wow...I guess I am a little late on this, but I simply cannot believe some of the people in here.
A couple of notes:
- Someone on here said that their photographer gave them the rights to the images. They went on to say that the photographer does not OWN the images. You, Sir, are extremely wrong. The photographer ALWAYS owns the images. They may give you printing rights to the images, but the photographer is always the copyright owner unless it is signed away.
- Some dude on here said that they think that photographers and other wedding stuff is a huge rip off. Well...DON'T PAY FOR IT if it is a rip off to you. 20 years down the road, you will regret not having great pictures of one of the greatest moments of your life. You think that photographers get paid too much for what they do? Why don't you try doing what we do. You try learning about light, exposure, white balance and how to use a camera. If you are a good photographer (I admit, some call themselves pro's and simply suck), then you have spent A LOT of time studying your art.
I am seriously at a loss for words after reading the original article and some of these comments. Some of you need to understand that this is peoples FULL TIME JOB just like you go work construction or in an office. Would you like it if you didn't get paid for your work?
Some of you say "well, I paid $1500 for the photo session...I should be able to make whatever prints I want!"
The problem with this statement is, you paid for something you can't afford. If the max you can pay is $1500, then you need to find a cheaper photographer. The better photographer, the more you will pay. So, if you don't want to pay more than $1500, get a cheaper photog.
I am still at a loss for words. I just don't know what to say. As a professional photographer, some of these comments really get under my skin. Thank you, cheap consumer, for thinking that you should know how I should run my business. Quit thinking you are entitled to something that wasn't in your contract. If your contract doesn't include prints, but the prints from the photographer. If you don't like that, get a different photographer.
There are less expensive mortgage acceleration programs that put budgeting on steroids and can be used for homes, student loans, etc. BreadMap.com is very easy to set up and use --- it only takes us 5 minutes per month and we're saving a ton of money in interest. We don't care if the mortgage is tax deductible; we want to pay off all of our loans in full for peace of mind and to protect our financial future. In a short couple of months we can already see the light at the end of the tunnel!
I have the good fortune to qualify for banking through USAA, and am incredibly satisfied with how they treat me. I also keep an account at a credit union - which I've done for over 20 years now. I have NEVER been charged a fee that I didn't deserve. I've always gotten good service. The one 2 times I opened accounts at banks I closed them within a year because of unethical practices on their part.
Go to a credit union, they're not all perfect, but even the worst of them are better than banks. The majority are good.
I never follow those "offers." Discounts for opening a credit care, etc. are bait. The trap is there. Those folks spend tons of time and money figuring out how to manipulate and get an angle on customers. Of course we all know that "I'm too smart for them.. all those other suckers are taken, but *I* make out." Yep, and you'll live on residual income from your airline miles too, right? [funny]
I have to say that while I agree that "our money is our responsibility" one issue that Sierra is writing on is that she was also charged overdraft fees when she had money in her account - so it is perfectly responsible - she was perfectly responsible in this action - to withdraw money from an account that has enough money in it and she should not have been charged overdraft fees for that amount. She was, however, charged overdraft fees because the bank processed her debits out of order.
And isn't it also the BANK'S responsibility to post the correct amount available? We enter an agreement with a bank and they should be RESPONSIBLE enough to keep up their end of the contract, yes?
Why don't we heft some of the responsibility (of being "responsible adults" - lemme ask, is it cold out there on the cross or do you guys just hang out on it for fun?) on the banks? Is it responsible, ethical or moral to charge overdraft fees for money withdrawn from an account with funds available?
Also: Living hand to mouth is not necessarily an issue of "personal responsibility" - some very responsible people work as dishwashers all their lives and make maybe $1000/mo (speaking from experience) - the cost of living makes it impossible to avoid running to the bank on monday morning to deposit a check to cover a loan payment (or whatever it is) - so is it a personal responsibility issue? are you guys so disgusted with minimum wage slaves for actually working jobs that don't pay them enough to live on that you will keep arguing that it is an issue of being a "responsible adult"?
Our responsibility is to call bullshit when we see it and THIS IS BULLSHIT!
Anyway. This letter started as a direct response to one person and then branched out as a general message. Good luck to everyone!
@Amy K - The difference between cash-back and frequent flyer miles depends largely on what sorts of flights you want to collect for, and how dedicated you are to maximizing your miles with bonus offers etc. The more actively you seek miles, the more bang you'll get for your buck.
For a quick evaluation of various rewards strategies, you can check out this article:
@kooler - Ooh....good catch! Thanks. Fixed: you're on the ball!
@Richard and @toephu - This article is a book review; one I happen to be particularly enthusiastic about because it has added huge value to my traveling life. I'm sorry you found it to be advertorial in nature. I'll try to be more pessimistic next time! (smiles)
I was thinking about this very question when getting back from a friends place. I was glad to see the comments on this link.
Since I live in a large and expensive city McMansions are reserved for the uber rich. I think most middle income Londoners would share a 2 bedroom apartment of somewhere between 50sq meters and 70sq meters (500 sq ft to 800 sq ft).
Over the last 15 years, my wife and I have always lived in cities: US, Australia, UK and have been restricted by affordability. We have therefore lived in appartments between 500sq feet to 1,000sq ft.
We currently live in central London and now own two apartments one on top of the other (we loved the first so much we didn't want to move). The first (2 bedrooms) about 700 sq ft and the other about 550sq ft (single bed). This gave us maximum flexibility as a childless couple. Renting or putting friends/family up if needed. Now with our first child we will use the one bed apartment as a "granny flat". I appreciate our approach has been unconventional but it has made the whole process of acquiring our home a whole lot more affordable and with the least hassle with all the perks of having the amenities of a great city at our door step.
From reading all the other comments above and looking at my own usage, I think a family home of somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 sq feet would be needed for a family in a modern city environment. Otherwise our 700 sq ft is just great for the two of us as it has the outside space and accebility to shops/restaurants and transport.
Thanks for the tips.
The best of course is buying second hand. There is incredilbe depreciation on new cars so buying a good second hand one can save you heaps.
My business partner has bought the top of the range, end of model, two years old for a long time and found he has a great motoring experience with an affordable costs
As with everything from bailouts to overdraft fees, I'm very surprised violent crimes are not overwhelming fraudulent rich persons. I'm not rich, in fact I had 27 overdraft fees this past year which were all posted to my account when I ended the day positive. The fees were allowed to post because of pending transactions. If this is allowed to continue, I may start a overdraft and recovery shoot your ass collection LLC.
Welcome to Helping Hands Foundation (HHF) – Nepal! HHF is an organization that strives to materialize the warmth between the Nepalese and their foreign guests and use the goodwill to bring smiles in the faces of both the underprivileged children of Nepal and their foreign admirers. Helping Hands Foundation “HHF” has been established as a non-profitable organization with the sheer purpose of improving the lives of orphaned children existing in our society. It aims to work toward bringing happiness and security in the lives those children of Nepal who were forced to lose their innocent by poverty as well as familial and social conditions.
We all have high ideals. But we also wish to prove our ideals through our work. Motivated with the philosophy of ‘getting things done rather than taking only an initiative’ we are dedicated to make positive changes in the lives of the needy children by equipping them with better education. We also focus on health and hygiene sector, as Nepali kids suffer immensely due to lack of basic healthcare opportunities. Therefore, we ensure that our kids get the required health attention plus act as a protective guardian remaining inside the rules & regulations of the existing law.
Our main objective is to reach out to the underprivileged and destitute children who can not realize their potential because they can not get adequate attention at the familial, societal, and even at the government level policies. Though their missing parents are irreplaceable, the organization strives to endorse them with an ideal & happy home together with tender health, food & concerned care.
We invite you participate in our program and see how you too can really make a positive difference in the children’s and in your own life. Let’s join hand in hand for these innocent children left on their own and create a favorable environment for them.
They were recently running this promotion in toys on Amazon, but for a Parenting magazine subscription, which I already get. I spent $25 on toys, printed out my rebate form, and sent it in. They also did this last year and it took a little while, but I did get my rebate!
My soap bars usually end up too small to use (opposite of too big to fail).
I put these fragments in an old panty hose, and use them as a chunk. Even better is you can use the long panty house to tie the whole thing to an outside tap, for guests, or if you work in the garden. You can keep adding new soap fragments over time.
I'm sorry but I cannot trust the government in this regard. Medicare/Medicaid fraud and waste is rampant with little hope of resolution. I cannot see public health care being any better. The whole thing smells fishy to me. What will govt mandate next?
Love these roundups, Linsey. Keep up the good work!
You know, I've just been signing up for everything blindly. Now it's time to be a bit more strategic.
Great tips!
The financial undressing should be sometime after you first talk about shacking up and the day before you sign any rental agreement together. Really bad credit and debt is like financial STD's. It's best to let the other person know before you take it to the next step, or else you both will be sorry.
I really agree with your last piece of advice...it makes it easier to manage activities versus time. It helps you break down big projects into more more manageable pieces. It also help you keep track of what you are doing and what you need to do.
Actually, I was a bit surprised, when I learned that Amazon was selling cotton socks.I buy from Amazon re-sellers all the time. I haven't had any more (or less) problems with them than I've had with any other internet vendors.
Recently I came to know that there is a website named AmazingWatcher.Com which is a free website that will “watch” items for you on Amazon and let you know when amazon has them in stock at regular retail price.It got so awesome!
Good luck everybody!
Using PayPal seems like a great way to make it easy and simple for people to chip in for a gift. Great idea!
Sasha
I also found a GREAT way to save the environment by using filtered water bottles, I love the NEW stainless steel from BackToTheTap.com they carry a great line of filtered water bottles that adjust to your budget.. from $15 to $35, and you can use this great bottles over 3months or MORE, then just replace the filter and re-use them again... GREAT for the environment, and also for ON THE GO!!! :)
They are BPA Free and also donate $1 to Earth Share Foundation.
Wow...I guess I am a little late on this, but I simply cannot believe some of the people in here.
A couple of notes:
- Someone on here said that their photographer gave them the rights to the images. They went on to say that the photographer does not OWN the images. You, Sir, are extremely wrong. The photographer ALWAYS owns the images. They may give you printing rights to the images, but the photographer is always the copyright owner unless it is signed away.
- Some dude on here said that they think that photographers and other wedding stuff is a huge rip off. Well...DON'T PAY FOR IT if it is a rip off to you. 20 years down the road, you will regret not having great pictures of one of the greatest moments of your life. You think that photographers get paid too much for what they do? Why don't you try doing what we do. You try learning about light, exposure, white balance and how to use a camera. If you are a good photographer (I admit, some call themselves pro's and simply suck), then you have spent A LOT of time studying your art.
I am seriously at a loss for words after reading the original article and some of these comments. Some of you need to understand that this is peoples FULL TIME JOB just like you go work construction or in an office. Would you like it if you didn't get paid for your work?
Some of you say "well, I paid $1500 for the photo session...I should be able to make whatever prints I want!"
The problem with this statement is, you paid for something you can't afford. If the max you can pay is $1500, then you need to find a cheaper photographer. The better photographer, the more you will pay. So, if you don't want to pay more than $1500, get a cheaper photog.
I am still at a loss for words. I just don't know what to say. As a professional photographer, some of these comments really get under my skin. Thank you, cheap consumer, for thinking that you should know how I should run my business. Quit thinking you are entitled to something that wasn't in your contract. If your contract doesn't include prints, but the prints from the photographer. If you don't like that, get a different photographer.
There are less expensive mortgage acceleration programs that put budgeting on steroids and can be used for homes, student loans, etc. BreadMap.com is very easy to set up and use --- it only takes us 5 minutes per month and we're saving a ton of money in interest. We don't care if the mortgage is tax deductible; we want to pay off all of our loans in full for peace of mind and to protect our financial future. In a short couple of months we can already see the light at the end of the tunnel!
I have the good fortune to qualify for banking through USAA, and am incredibly satisfied with how they treat me. I also keep an account at a credit union - which I've done for over 20 years now. I have NEVER been charged a fee that I didn't deserve. I've always gotten good service. The one 2 times I opened accounts at banks I closed them within a year because of unethical practices on their part.
Go to a credit union, they're not all perfect, but even the worst of them are better than banks. The majority are good.
Container Store does this too...$6 back if you don't get the Real Simple subscription
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
I never follow those "offers." Discounts for opening a credit care, etc. are bait. The trap is there. Those folks spend tons of time and money figuring out how to manipulate and get an angle on customers. Of course we all know that "I'm too smart for them.. all those other suckers are taken, but *I* make out." Yep, and you'll live on residual income from your airline miles too, right? [funny]
Ellen,
I have to say that while I agree that "our money is our responsibility" one issue that Sierra is writing on is that she was also charged overdraft fees when she had money in her account - so it is perfectly responsible - she was perfectly responsible in this action - to withdraw money from an account that has enough money in it and she should not have been charged overdraft fees for that amount. She was, however, charged overdraft fees because the bank processed her debits out of order.
And isn't it also the BANK'S responsibility to post the correct amount available? We enter an agreement with a bank and they should be RESPONSIBLE enough to keep up their end of the contract, yes?
Why don't we heft some of the responsibility (of being "responsible adults" - lemme ask, is it cold out there on the cross or do you guys just hang out on it for fun?) on the banks? Is it responsible, ethical or moral to charge overdraft fees for money withdrawn from an account with funds available?
Also: Living hand to mouth is not necessarily an issue of "personal responsibility" - some very responsible people work as dishwashers all their lives and make maybe $1000/mo (speaking from experience) - the cost of living makes it impossible to avoid running to the bank on monday morning to deposit a check to cover a loan payment (or whatever it is) - so is it a personal responsibility issue? are you guys so disgusted with minimum wage slaves for actually working jobs that don't pay them enough to live on that you will keep arguing that it is an issue of being a "responsible adult"?
Our responsibility is to call bullshit when we see it and THIS IS BULLSHIT!
Anyway. This letter started as a direct response to one person and then branched out as a general message. Good luck to everyone!
@Amy K - The difference between cash-back and frequent flyer miles depends largely on what sorts of flights you want to collect for, and how dedicated you are to maximizing your miles with bonus offers etc. The more actively you seek miles, the more bang you'll get for your buck.
For a quick evaluation of various rewards strategies, you can check out this article:
Credit Card Rewards Programs
@Jim - Thanks!
@kooler - Ooh....good catch! Thanks. Fixed: you're on the ball!
@Richard and @toephu - This article is a book review; one I happen to be particularly enthusiastic about because it has added huge value to my traveling life. I'm sorry you found it to be advertorial in nature. I'll try to be more pessimistic next time! (smiles)
how much did this guy pay you to advertise his $50 ebook?
I was thinking about this very question when getting back from a friends place. I was glad to see the comments on this link.
Since I live in a large and expensive city McMansions are reserved for the uber rich. I think most middle income Londoners would share a 2 bedroom apartment of somewhere between 50sq meters and 70sq meters (500 sq ft to 800 sq ft).
Over the last 15 years, my wife and I have always lived in cities: US, Australia, UK and have been restricted by affordability. We have therefore lived in appartments between 500sq feet to 1,000sq ft.
We currently live in central London and now own two apartments one on top of the other (we loved the first so much we didn't want to move). The first (2 bedrooms) about 700 sq ft and the other about 550sq ft (single bed). This gave us maximum flexibility as a childless couple. Renting or putting friends/family up if needed. Now with our first child we will use the one bed apartment as a "granny flat". I appreciate our approach has been unconventional but it has made the whole process of acquiring our home a whole lot more affordable and with the least hassle with all the perks of having the amenities of a great city at our door step.
From reading all the other comments above and looking at my own usage, I think a family home of somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 sq feet would be needed for a family in a modern city environment. Otherwise our 700 sq ft is just great for the two of us as it has the outside space and accebility to shops/restaurants and transport.
There are a lot of sneaky offers and subscriptions buried in the fines print these days, especially on supposedly free things.
John DeFlumeri Jr.
Thanks for the tips.
The best of course is buying second hand. There is incredilbe depreciation on new cars so buying a good second hand one can save you heaps.
My business partner has bought the top of the range, end of model, two years old for a long time and found he has a great motoring experience with an affordable costs
As with everything from bailouts to overdraft fees, I'm very surprised violent crimes are not overwhelming fraudulent rich persons. I'm not rich, in fact I had 27 overdraft fees this past year which were all posted to my account when I ended the day positive. The fees were allowed to post because of pending transactions. If this is allowed to continue, I may start a overdraft and recovery shoot your ass collection LLC.
I don't understand how you can be happy about getting back money for a product you did not order, which is essentially what happened.
Welcome to Helping Hands Foundation (HHF) – Nepal! HHF is an organization that strives to materialize the warmth between the Nepalese and their foreign guests and use the goodwill to bring smiles in the faces of both the underprivileged children of Nepal and their foreign admirers. Helping Hands Foundation “HHF” has been established as a non-profitable organization with the sheer purpose of improving the lives of orphaned children existing in our society. It aims to work toward bringing happiness and security in the lives those children of Nepal who were forced to lose their innocent by poverty as well as familial and social conditions.
We all have high ideals. But we also wish to prove our ideals through our work. Motivated with the philosophy of ‘getting things done rather than taking only an initiative’ we are dedicated to make positive changes in the lives of the needy children by equipping them with better education. We also focus on health and hygiene sector, as Nepali kids suffer immensely due to lack of basic healthcare opportunities. Therefore, we ensure that our kids get the required health attention plus act as a protective guardian remaining inside the rules & regulations of the existing law.
Our main objective is to reach out to the underprivileged and destitute children who can not realize their potential because they can not get adequate attention at the familial, societal, and even at the government level policies. Though their missing parents are irreplaceable, the organization strives to endorse them with an ideal & happy home together with tender health, food & concerned care.
We invite you participate in our program and see how you too can really make a positive difference in the children’s and in your own life. Let’s join hand in hand for these innocent children left on their own and create a favorable environment for them.
visit www.helpinghands.org.np for more details.
This reminds me of my great uncle and his friends runnin shine in kentucky, in a big, hot, GTO....good times
They were recently running this promotion in toys on Amazon, but for a Parenting magazine subscription, which I already get. I spent $25 on toys, printed out my rebate form, and sent it in. They also did this last year and it took a little while, but I did get my rebate!
My soap bars usually end up too small to use (opposite of too big to fail).
I put these fragments in an old panty hose, and use them as a chunk. Even better is you can use the long panty house to tie the whole thing to an outside tap, for guests, or if you work in the garden. You can keep adding new soap fragments over time.