My boss has a terrible habit of borrowing small amounts of money (e.g. "Can you grab lunch for me? I'll give you some money when you get back."), and then never, ever paying it back. She's done this to everyone in the office at one time or another, and she seems to cycle through different people each week so that she hits each person once a year or so. We all know that she makes much more money than the rest of us, but she also supports several family members and is terrible at managing her money. It is conceivable that she's low on cash given that situation.
Since she pulled her "get me lunch" scheme on me today, I've decided never to fall for it again. The problem is, how do I say no to her next time? She is my boss after all.
It's a tough calculation to make, because in so many cases the comparisons aren't equal. But take cars for an example. A car that you might have bought in 1960 would have been new(ish) for a couple of years, then it would have been old for a couple of years, and then it would have been a rusted-out beater for a couple of years. (At least, that's what I remember happening with my parent's cars.) My first car, on the other hand, lasted for 17 years, and my wife's first car is just about to hit 20. So, yes, they cost more (although not, I think, 9 times as much), but they're much better cars--they last longer, they're safer, they use less fuel, take less maintenance, and so on.
Which was exactly my point. It would be tough to find a way to live at a 1960 standard of living--a car that dangerous would be illegal to sell, medical care that poor would be malpractice, there aren't as many people taking in boarders or people who want to form car pools, and so on. But if you could push your standard of living down that far, you could support it on a single minimum-wage salary.
I find that many Mediterranean places offer $3-4 sandwiches that are just as tasty as main courses. Also, Italian places that offer all-you-can-eat salad and soup meals can be very affordable. Vegetarian entrees will usually be less expensive than meat ones. And places that give you free bread or chips & salsa fill are great because then you can order a smaller dish and still be full.
I didn't see a Flu Clinic listing at my state's Health & Human Services website, but I do know that the local chapter of the Medical Reserve Corps is doing flu clinics. The Town Board of Health is offering the shots free of charge for residents, and the Medical Reserve Corps is doing the actual dispensing.
Just thought I'd toss it out there as another place to check. I got my 2007 vaccine through a MRC Emergency Dispensing drill, and while they did take down my insurance info I had no copay and never heard a peep from my insurance. I don't think the MRC even had facilities to accept a donation.
I love this format. I have always listened to the quick and dirty tips podcasts - Short but very informative. So far the topics are really good. I believe that shoppers should never pay full price!
I started giving my daughter an outrageously high allowance at age 3 ($2.75/week) so she could begin learning about long-term saving (50 cents/week) and charity (25 cents/week). I had to keep track of her money for her, but every week we divided her allowance into 3 little jars. Whenever she wanted to buy something (always, at age 3) I would tell her whether she could afford it or how long she would have to save up. Each Christmas, she chose a charity to which to give her accumulated charity savings (which I matched).
Fast forward 10 years: her allowance is now $6.50/week ($1 savings, 50 cents charity, $5 spending); she is very proud of her hundreds of dollars in savings; she is proud of her charitable contributions, and (best of all for me) she never asks to borrow money from me nor for me to buy her any teenphernalia. If she wants any stuff (usually something purple with glitter), she saves up for it.
I also received this card today. I was upset and worried thinking that someone stole my identity. You have to be able to sign the document in order for them to post the card under your name. But the thing is, I never signed it. Credit card, debit card or prepaid card u have to sign an agreement with your signaure. So they are frauds and scammers. Somehow they found out about my information. I called the police and they said "did u call the number on the back of the card?" And I said yes. the line is dead though. And she says that you have to make a complaint to the police. Either come down your self or have them come to your house. I am so doing that. It's a fraud.
Besides being a HGTV fanatic, I don't really know much about home decorating. I wanted to let you know that I am adding this story to my blogcarnival about inspirational true stories that you submitted. It is funny how you move one thing and unknowingly it opens up a whole new room and feel.
The content is great, though it definitely sounds as if the host is reading, I am sure that is just because this is new and it will improve with time. I learned a number of things in one episode of the podcast and will be keeping it on my subscription list.
Interesting, and I thought iPod was only for music. I'll need to continue to become more tech say to expand some of my commute time to listening to more than music!
Adviser check requires an adviser to pay a large fee to have their background checked (I think around $180). If the adviser does not agree to pay the fee, the company will make it appear to the requester of the information that the adviser has something to hide when that may not be the case. This service may be free to the public but they are charging adviser.
Very thorough treatment of the title topic in each podcast. I learned some bargain tips that I had never heard before. The narrator is a little monotonous, though.
I find that the best way to deal with clutter is to not let it form. For me, this means figuring out WHY it forms.
Some things are just laziness. For those, I try to change one small habit at a time, like putting my purse away instead of dropping it next to the door.
For other clutter, there's a bigger reason. Sometimes it just doesn't have a place and sometimes the existing place isn't working. I used to have a giant stack of papers on my desk....until I got my own file cabinet. It was too difficult to get to my files in the back of the bottom drawer behind the stuff put in front of it. No wonder I had a pile! Sometimes it's hard to figure out what the problem is or what to do about it, but I'm slowly working on it. I still have clutter, but I have LESS clutter!
I think that this is very sound advice. Of course, most teenagers would hate to spend their summers doing work without being able to reap the benefits of spending their money in the end, but there will eventually be a payoff.
Another idea that might solve the issue of the teenager not seeing a reward for their work, would be to invest half of all holiday money and subtract that from the amount needed over the summer. This way, your teen will see some of the money in the form of gifts and some in the form of their paycheck, and won't feel too deprived.
There is an important lesson behind all of this about instant gratification. If more people believed that it is smarter to plan ahead than indulge, then we would all be better off today.
As a college history professor, I make a decent income, however, my father's one income in the sixties FAR surpassed the buying power I have now. (I have a much higher comparable job than he did) Our 3200 square foot home we had as a child, in an upscale neighborhood, in suburban America cost them LESS than 25,000 dollars. We DID have two cars (in fact three). Where it took my father a year and a half to earn enough to equal the value of our house, it takes me four. Today, the house my wife and I both pay for is smaller than my parent's home and cost us a half million.
Economic historians will tell you that the decline of the American way of life came in the late sixties, and from everything I have read that is pretty much fact.
I applaud your spin, but unfortunately it is only that, a spin. Middle class standards have dropped due in part to supply side economics which saw corporate America expand. Companies like Wal-Mart displaced local business, displacing upper middle class owners. Wages HAVE NOT kept up with inflation, for example, when I started driving, gas was $.69 a gallon. It went to $1.00 by the late 70s. Gas was a 35 cents in 1969, I paid 3.15 yesterday.
But the argument can be settle relatively easy. Just compare wages vs relative costs. Average wage in 69 was 9.4k, houses averaged 23k, cars 3k, gas 35 cents, bread 25 cents, hamburger meat 75 cents/lb. In 2008, average wage was 40k, houses averaged 238k, cars 28k, gas 3.05 (widely fluctuating to as high as 4.10) bread 2.79, Hamburger meat 3.99/lb.
Simple math would tell you that 9.4k into 40k is about 1/4. So we are making four times what we made in 1969 (remember, it gets BETTER the further back we go) The problem with phil's assumptions is this, houses went up TEN x, cars went up 9x, gas 9x, bread 11x, hamburger meat 5x. Pretty easy argument to defeat Phil. Throw in that insurance for cars was NOT mandatory back then, that the price of a ticket for not wearing your seat belt cost you money today and wouldn't have been a ticket then (we didn't have seat belts.)
I applaud your faulty logic for being cheery, but alas, not very well researched.
One last factor that should be considered with makes your argument even more faulty, is how the average income has been calculated. Although the average income in 69 was 9k, there were fewer individuals below poverty income. Today's figure has a small number of individuals making such an enormous amount of wealth that the medium is skewed and there are a larger number of substandard incomes. In otherwords, the middle class has shrunk considerably.
I used swoopo for around 3 months! Didn't win anything, so I googled. Found a site http://muulu.com 50 cents per bid, second time you buy its like 35 cents, sold. Used the site for around 2 weeks off and on (conserving my bids) when i won my nano! Spent 1 bid on it, waited until the last second. Great site, great design. Oh and the discount on the second buy is awesome!
Like many have said already, while writing to a company for a negative experience can be helpful, don't forget to thank a company for helpful experiences too. Those can be just as important, and they let the company know they've satisfied another customers needs.
I have received both netspend and Bank Freedom both prepaid cards While netspend charges fees Bank Freedom does not except for a couple at .50 fees. The best thing is that the money routing number is exactly the same. [the netspend and Bank Freedom]
I have used the Walmart money card and have a lot of trouble and you know that when the manager of store tells you that he would not have anything to do with them that there is something to be desired . I am thinking that in fact I know I am going to transfer all the money to one of the above for the the Banking system is getting way out of hand and if people are complaining about these cards they should really start to look into the Banking procedures for they are the ones that ripping people off. They are the ones that should be put into bankruptcy but they would not be for people are to stupid to really check into their practices that is why more and more people are going into these cards. With these cards you know exactly how much money you have and how to or for what to spend.
It would be great to teach this stuff in school, especially the skills. But even a great program of education on financial basics is a poor substitute for growing up in a household where everyone is doing all this stuff all the time.
I'm surprised you overlooked one big category...getting a free flu shot from your employer. Mine can't be the only one.
My boss has a terrible habit of borrowing small amounts of money (e.g. "Can you grab lunch for me? I'll give you some money when you get back."), and then never, ever paying it back. She's done this to everyone in the office at one time or another, and she seems to cycle through different people each week so that she hits each person once a year or so. We all know that she makes much more money than the rest of us, but she also supports several family members and is terrible at managing her money. It is conceivable that she's low on cash given that situation.
Since she pulled her "get me lunch" scheme on me today, I've decided never to fall for it again. The problem is, how do I say no to her next time? She is my boss after all.
The CFP designation is definitely the quickest way to figure out if someone is qualified.
It would also be a good idea to ask them about any clients who have stopped using their services and why.
It will also likely help you if you screen out any cold callers.
It's a tough calculation to make, because in so many cases the comparisons aren't equal. But take cars for an example. A car that you might have bought in 1960 would have been new(ish) for a couple of years, then it would have been old for a couple of years, and then it would have been a rusted-out beater for a couple of years. (At least, that's what I remember happening with my parent's cars.) My first car, on the other hand, lasted for 17 years, and my wife's first car is just about to hit 20. So, yes, they cost more (although not, I think, 9 times as much), but they're much better cars--they last longer, they're safer, they use less fuel, take less maintenance, and so on.
Which was exactly my point. It would be tough to find a way to live at a 1960 standard of living--a car that dangerous would be illegal to sell, medical care that poor would be malpractice, there aren't as many people taking in boarders or people who want to form car pools, and so on. But if you could push your standard of living down that far, you could support it on a single minimum-wage salary.
I find that many Mediterranean places offer $3-4 sandwiches that are just as tasty as main courses. Also, Italian places that offer all-you-can-eat salad and soup meals can be very affordable. Vegetarian entrees will usually be less expensive than meat ones. And places that give you free bread or chips & salsa fill are great because then you can order a smaller dish and still be full.
Appreciate the article!
I didn't see a Flu Clinic listing at my state's Health & Human Services website, but I do know that the local chapter of the Medical Reserve Corps is doing flu clinics. The Town Board of Health is offering the shots free of charge for residents, and the Medical Reserve Corps is doing the actual dispensing.
Just thought I'd toss it out there as another place to check. I got my 2007 vaccine through a MRC Emergency Dispensing drill, and while they did take down my insurance info I had no copay and never heard a peep from my insurance. I don't think the MRC even had facilities to accept a donation.
You guys have to PAY for flu shots??
I love this format. I have always listened to the quick and dirty tips podcasts - Short but very informative. So far the topics are really good. I believe that shoppers should never pay full price!
I started giving my daughter an outrageously high allowance at age 3 ($2.75/week) so she could begin learning about long-term saving (50 cents/week) and charity (25 cents/week). I had to keep track of her money for her, but every week we divided her allowance into 3 little jars. Whenever she wanted to buy something (always, at age 3) I would tell her whether she could afford it or how long she would have to save up. Each Christmas, she chose a charity to which to give her accumulated charity savings (which I matched).
Fast forward 10 years: her allowance is now $6.50/week ($1 savings, 50 cents charity, $5 spending); she is very proud of her hundreds of dollars in savings; she is proud of her charitable contributions, and (best of all for me) she never asks to borrow money from me nor for me to buy her any teenphernalia. If she wants any stuff (usually something purple with glitter), she saves up for it.
I also received this card today. I was upset and worried thinking that someone stole my identity. You have to be able to sign the document in order for them to post the card under your name. But the thing is, I never signed it. Credit card, debit card or prepaid card u have to sign an agreement with your signaure. So they are frauds and scammers. Somehow they found out about my information. I called the police and they said "did u call the number on the back of the card?" And I said yes. the line is dead though. And she says that you have to make a complaint to the police. Either come down your self or have them come to your house. I am so doing that. It's a fraud.
Besides being a HGTV fanatic, I don't really know much about home decorating. I wanted to let you know that I am adding this story to my blogcarnival about inspirational true stories that you submitted. It is funny how you move one thing and unknowingly it opens up a whole new room and feel.
The content is great, though it definitely sounds as if the host is reading, I am sure that is just because this is new and it will improve with time. I learned a number of things in one episode of the podcast and will be keeping it on my subscription list.
Interesting, and I thought iPod was only for music. I'll need to continue to become more tech say to expand some of my commute time to listening to more than music!
Adviser check requires an adviser to pay a large fee to have their background checked (I think around $180). If the adviser does not agree to pay the fee, the company will make it appear to the requester of the information that the adviser has something to hide when that may not be the case. This service may be free to the public but they are charging adviser.
With an FHA you also need to pay PMI for 5 years even if you have 20% down.
Very thorough treatment of the title topic in each podcast. I learned some bargain tips that I had never heard before. The narrator is a little monotonous, though.
As we all have realized through Bernie Madoff, doing as thorough a check as possible is key.
On a related topic, we write about him in an article entitled, "Does Bernie Madoff Win In The End?"
If we are trusting our finances to others, it behooves us to be as thorough as possible.
I find that the best way to deal with clutter is to not let it form. For me, this means figuring out WHY it forms.
Some things are just laziness. For those, I try to change one small habit at a time, like putting my purse away instead of dropping it next to the door.
For other clutter, there's a bigger reason. Sometimes it just doesn't have a place and sometimes the existing place isn't working. I used to have a giant stack of papers on my desk....until I got my own file cabinet. It was too difficult to get to my files in the back of the bottom drawer behind the stuff put in front of it. No wonder I had a pile! Sometimes it's hard to figure out what the problem is or what to do about it, but I'm slowly working on it. I still have clutter, but I have LESS clutter!
I think that this is very sound advice. Of course, most teenagers would hate to spend their summers doing work without being able to reap the benefits of spending their money in the end, but there will eventually be a payoff.
Another idea that might solve the issue of the teenager not seeing a reward for their work, would be to invest half of all holiday money and subtract that from the amount needed over the summer. This way, your teen will see some of the money in the form of gifts and some in the form of their paycheck, and won't feel too deprived.
There is an important lesson behind all of this about instant gratification. If more people believed that it is smarter to plan ahead than indulge, then we would all be better off today.
As a college history professor, I make a decent income, however, my father's one income in the sixties FAR surpassed the buying power I have now. (I have a much higher comparable job than he did) Our 3200 square foot home we had as a child, in an upscale neighborhood, in suburban America cost them LESS than 25,000 dollars. We DID have two cars (in fact three). Where it took my father a year and a half to earn enough to equal the value of our house, it takes me four. Today, the house my wife and I both pay for is smaller than my parent's home and cost us a half million.
Economic historians will tell you that the decline of the American way of life came in the late sixties, and from everything I have read that is pretty much fact.
I applaud your spin, but unfortunately it is only that, a spin. Middle class standards have dropped due in part to supply side economics which saw corporate America expand. Companies like Wal-Mart displaced local business, displacing upper middle class owners. Wages HAVE NOT kept up with inflation, for example, when I started driving, gas was $.69 a gallon. It went to $1.00 by the late 70s. Gas was a 35 cents in 1969, I paid 3.15 yesterday.
But the argument can be settle relatively easy. Just compare wages vs relative costs. Average wage in 69 was 9.4k, houses averaged 23k, cars 3k, gas 35 cents, bread 25 cents, hamburger meat 75 cents/lb. In 2008, average wage was 40k, houses averaged 238k, cars 28k, gas 3.05 (widely fluctuating to as high as 4.10) bread 2.79, Hamburger meat 3.99/lb.
Simple math would tell you that 9.4k into 40k is about 1/4. So we are making four times what we made in 1969 (remember, it gets BETTER the further back we go) The problem with phil's assumptions is this, houses went up TEN x, cars went up 9x, gas 9x, bread 11x, hamburger meat 5x. Pretty easy argument to defeat Phil. Throw in that insurance for cars was NOT mandatory back then, that the price of a ticket for not wearing your seat belt cost you money today and wouldn't have been a ticket then (we didn't have seat belts.)
I applaud your faulty logic for being cheery, but alas, not very well researched.
One last factor that should be considered with makes your argument even more faulty, is how the average income has been calculated. Although the average income in 69 was 9k, there were fewer individuals below poverty income. Today's figure has a small number of individuals making such an enormous amount of wealth that the medium is skewed and there are a larger number of substandard incomes. In otherwords, the middle class has shrunk considerably.
I used swoopo for around 3 months! Didn't win anything, so I googled. Found a site http://muulu.com 50 cents per bid, second time you buy its like 35 cents, sold. Used the site for around 2 weeks off and on (conserving my bids) when i won my nano! Spent 1 bid on it, waited until the last second. Great site, great design. Oh and the discount on the second buy is awesome!
Like many have said already, while writing to a company for a negative experience can be helpful, don't forget to thank a company for helpful experiences too. Those can be just as important, and they let the company know they've satisfied another customers needs.
I have received both netspend and Bank Freedom both prepaid cards While netspend charges fees Bank Freedom does not except for a couple at .50 fees. The best thing is that the money routing number is exactly the same. [the netspend and Bank Freedom]
I have used the Walmart money card and have a lot of trouble and you know that when the manager of store tells you that he would not have anything to do with them that there is something to be desired . I am thinking that in fact I know I am going to transfer all the money to one of the above for the the Banking system is getting way out of hand and if people are complaining about these cards they should really start to look into the Banking procedures for they are the ones that ripping people off. They are the ones that should be put into bankruptcy but they would not be for people are to stupid to really check into their practices that is why more and more people are going into these cards. With these cards you know exactly how much money you have and how to or for what to spend.
It would be great to teach this stuff in school, especially the skills. But even a great program of education on financial basics is a poor substitute for growing up in a household where everyone is doing all this stuff all the time.
It's always smart to save early for these things. Thanks for the great tips!