Although food isn't something you can make too far in advance, I would still put it on the list. I'm making everyone sugar-free fudge this year, because it seems like everyone either has diabetes, or is on the Atkins diet. (:
Right now, I can't wait for my next zucchini glut, since it is early spring in NZ. I've just planted some seeds indoors.
I always end up with too many, even though I've got a small garden and I'm entirely capable of eating 2 a day for a couple of months on my own. I also enyoy palming them off on neighbours and workmates, and last summer had a "zucchini for bread" deal going with someone who baked bread (something I don't make myself). Fortunately, they aren't quite so easy to grow where I live, and most people don't have too many. Just me. :-)
It's a running joke that I'm on the "zucchini diet" during summer and autumn when I'm eating 2 a day. It's probably another thing you could try to get rid of excess zucchini - tell people that it's the central ingredient in some celebrity fad diet. I do actually always lose weight in the zucchini season, largely because I'm too full of zucchini to eat anything else. See - it works!
It's strictly a matter of negotiation. I'd suggest starting with the small and medium-sized banks wherever you live. Tell them what services you'll need and how much business you'll be doing, and ask them to cut you a deal. If they won't give you what you want, try the even smaller banks in small towns around where you are.
If that doesn't work, try going at it from the other direction. If you're stuck paying a fee, ask them what services they're willing to provide. If there are bank services that your business requires, it may well be cheaper to pay the account fee and then get the services for free, than it would be to pay for the services.
I have an online no-fee savings account. However, my business accounts, that I have with Wells Fargo, charge a monthly fee. Any advice for banks that offer no-fee business accounts?
Chase did the same thing to me. I've been with WAMU for a decade. They bumped my credit card from 14.99% to 28.9%. I don't have a great credit score because I relied on my credit cards for a couple of years while fighting with Worker's Compensation and was unable to work BUT I have always paid on time and pay more than asked (usually 2x the minimum). To add to the bump in rates, they just closed my account. I was planning to close my account with them when I pay it off (which I will be doing in the next month or two) but even still, I felt offended that they closed the account because they decided that I might not pay.
I've decided to close the other card accounts I have except for one because the others also bumped my rates unreasonably high. The one is staying open because they lowered my rate when I asked. I'm also closing my now Chase checking account. I've been using ING primarily for years and was using my WAMU account for fast deposits, etc. I don't want that company handling any of my money in the future.
I feel for you. I can't imagine being underwater after paying for 15 years. I am $120,000 upside down in Fort Lauderdale FL. A bank rep practically laughed at me when I inquired about a refi under the new federal 125% refi plan. I bought in 2007 when the market was still high but I thought it was reasonable (as did a number of my young thirtysomething cohorts). My house is not up to current code as I bought it as a fixer. I cannot afford to place cash in improvements in the house, and that just feels downright crazy with the current status.
If I lived in CA or AZ (nonrecourse states) I would have left already and walked. I try so hard not to dwell on this, but I am at that age (33) where I need to plan for a family and this house is just dragging me down and stressing my relationship.
Basically, all the ideas is to give a thermal shock on the dent, right? I'm from Brazil (sorry about my poor English) and I'm having a hard time finding the air duster... Would it work with cold water or maybe cold ethyl acohol instead (because it solidifies at -112ºC, if I'm not mistaken)?
Yes, holds on debit cards are another way that banks gin up fee income by creating artificial overdrafts.
Usually you only see those on transactions where the seller doesn't know exactly what the charge is going to be--restauarants (where they don't know how much you'll tip), hotels (where they can't be sure when you'll check out or what drinks and meals you'll charge to your room), etc. When they authorize the transaction, they estimate how much the charge might come to and put a hold on that much money.
That was bad enough, but the really sleezy part was that the banks wouldn't always release the hold when the actual charge came through. I don't know if the details have changed since, but when I last looked into it, the banks would only release the hold if the amount charged were an exact match. So, if you ate a $50 meal at a restaurant, the restaurant might put a hold on $60. If you tipped only $7.50, the actual charge and the hold didn't match, so you'd end up with both an actual charge on your account of $57.50 and a hold for $60--reducing your available balance by $117.50.
That's pretty bad for a poor person who doesn't have $60 to spare for three days waiting for the hold to expire. It can get much worse at hotels where they might put a hold on several hundred dollars in additional to actually charging several hundred dollars.
Hi! There is another way banks get money & that is by people using there debit /checkcard & the company places a hold on the money & you don't know it. It could be Taco Bell ,ustAN EXAMPLE I DON"T KNOW IF THERE BANKING COMPANY DOES THIS OR NOT)
you order 3 taco belle grande & use your debit card, well, the company could put a hold of 50-$175 , which would make your account bounce , if you only have a small amount in it. This happens bunches. i know people who have had thishappen from gas stations, restaurants & grocery stores. Once the bounce happens they run your card through again sometimes 2-3 times ion one day & you are getting recharged bounced fees & maybe fees of like $8 per day till you can pay it. It isn't always the bank customers fault! Another thing they are doing is layering the pending charges that come through & floatig them for a week & then ordering them smallest to biggest , so you get more bounced check charges. I know Ohio has the unemployment card too . It's a pain. My Dad wold go to the bank it was issued on & withdraw the whole amount at once, that way no charges at all. Lisa~~Sorry about the grammar mistakes I tried to retype something & it keeps erasing the words
I agree 100%. I lived in L.A. for two years without a car (crazy right?) but I saved so much money by taking public transportation and walking. PLUS everyone wanted to know my secret to staying so thin and still eating like a pig (it was the walking which also saved me from a gym membership).
I think these bank fees are as unethical as the operations of credit card companies. Luckily, I have the education and financial skills to avoid ever having had a fee for either.
But I live in an area with a lot of poverty. Most poor people--and this would include the working poor--seem not to have bank accounts at all. A checking account would be a luxury for many.
I've built a site called hyperlocavore.com a free yard sharing community. People all over the country have joined looking for yard sharing partners. Some of us have space, some have skills, some have time...lots of us want to share - in order to grow more food CHEAPLY and close to home.
Organic doesn't need to break the bank. We're doing it!
Just make sure that you know that you're most likely only getting these deals for a year, or in the case of the extra movie channels for as little as one month.
I work for a cable company, and they do this to customers all the time. Usually if you call before the year is up, they'll keep you at the lower rate for another year, but after that it'll go back to full price.
When I use coupons at the grocery store I transfer the amount I saved to my savings account. I usually have at least $4 and sometimes as much as $15 in coupons each time I go and I go about twice a week. It's surprising how fast it adds up.
Just received an unsolicited debit card from netspend and immdiately cut it up after reading your experience. That's the best thing to do- cut it up and throw it away... Thanks.
For me, the worst part is the clean-up. I work and go to school full time, and I still cook from scratch (including baking my own bread). I find the cold fermentation techniques are best for busy people who want homemade bread. Also, I do my bread by hand, even though I have a stand mixer. I just mix it quickly w/ a wooden spoon (usually 2 minutes of stirring), then knead it for no more than 5 minutes, then toss it in the fridge overnight. Super easy and less clean-up than w/ the mixer.
As a cook who likes to avoid processed foods, flours, and sugars, I use zucchini A LOT. Shredded, it can go into almost any baking product and it even replaces potatoes in hashes. When I have a truckload left over, I usually shred it, squeeze out the water, and freeze it. That way, during the off season, it's easy to defrost and throw into soups, stir-fries, or make greek zucchini patties. Yum yummy.
Although food isn't something you can make too far in advance, I would still put it on the list. I'm making everyone sugar-free fudge this year, because it seems like everyone either has diabetes, or is on the Atkins diet. (:
Right now, I can't wait for my next zucchini glut, since it is early spring in NZ. I've just planted some seeds indoors.
I always end up with too many, even though I've got a small garden and I'm entirely capable of eating 2 a day for a couple of months on my own. I also enyoy palming them off on neighbours and workmates, and last summer had a "zucchini for bread" deal going with someone who baked bread (something I don't make myself). Fortunately, they aren't quite so easy to grow where I live, and most people don't have too many. Just me. :-)
It's a running joke that I'm on the "zucchini diet" during summer and autumn when I'm eating 2 a day. It's probably another thing you could try to get rid of excess zucchini - tell people that it's the central ingredient in some celebrity fad diet. I do actually always lose weight in the zucchini season, largely because I'm too full of zucchini to eat anything else. See - it works!
I have just receive my credit card report and the numbers there are almost the same with just a minor change that didn't affect my credit score.
Skeptical about the "nose-job" device. It doesn't look like it would give one a permanent result.
Sewing is a useful skill to have.
Great tips! Like the one on dusty refridgerators.
@ Little House:
It's strictly a matter of negotiation. I'd suggest starting with the small and medium-sized banks wherever you live. Tell them what services you'll need and how much business you'll be doing, and ask them to cut you a deal. If they won't give you what you want, try the even smaller banks in small towns around where you are.
If that doesn't work, try going at it from the other direction. If you're stuck paying a fee, ask them what services they're willing to provide. If there are bank services that your business requires, it may well be cheaper to pay the account fee and then get the services for free, than it would be to pay for the services.
I have an online no-fee savings account. However, my business accounts, that I have with Wells Fargo, charge a monthly fee. Any advice for banks that offer no-fee business accounts?
-Little House
Chase did the same thing to me. I've been with WAMU for a decade. They bumped my credit card from 14.99% to 28.9%. I don't have a great credit score because I relied on my credit cards for a couple of years while fighting with Worker's Compensation and was unable to work BUT I have always paid on time and pay more than asked (usually 2x the minimum). To add to the bump in rates, they just closed my account. I was planning to close my account with them when I pay it off (which I will be doing in the next month or two) but even still, I felt offended that they closed the account because they decided that I might not pay.
I've decided to close the other card accounts I have except for one because the others also bumped my rates unreasonably high. The one is staying open because they lowered my rate when I asked. I'm also closing my now Chase checking account. I've been using ING primarily for years and was using my WAMU account for fast deposits, etc. I don't want that company handling any of my money in the future.
I feel for you. I can't imagine being underwater after paying for 15 years. I am $120,000 upside down in Fort Lauderdale FL. A bank rep practically laughed at me when I inquired about a refi under the new federal 125% refi plan. I bought in 2007 when the market was still high but I thought it was reasonable (as did a number of my young thirtysomething cohorts). My house is not up to current code as I bought it as a fixer. I cannot afford to place cash in improvements in the house, and that just feels downright crazy with the current status.
If I lived in CA or AZ (nonrecourse states) I would have left already and walked. I try so hard not to dwell on this, but I am at that age (33) where I need to plan for a family and this house is just dragging me down and stressing my relationship.
Basically, all the ideas is to give a thermal shock on the dent, right? I'm from Brazil (sorry about my poor English) and I'm having a hard time finding the air duster... Would it work with cold water or maybe cold ethyl acohol instead (because it solidifies at -112ºC, if I'm not mistaken)?
@ Lisa:
Yes, holds on debit cards are another way that banks gin up fee income by creating artificial overdrafts.
Usually you only see those on transactions where the seller doesn't know exactly what the charge is going to be--restauarants (where they don't know how much you'll tip), hotels (where they can't be sure when you'll check out or what drinks and meals you'll charge to your room), etc. When they authorize the transaction, they estimate how much the charge might come to and put a hold on that much money.
That was bad enough, but the really sleezy part was that the banks wouldn't always release the hold when the actual charge came through. I don't know if the details have changed since, but when I last looked into it, the banks would only release the hold if the amount charged were an exact match. So, if you ate a $50 meal at a restaurant, the restaurant might put a hold on $60. If you tipped only $7.50, the actual charge and the hold didn't match, so you'd end up with both an actual charge on your account of $57.50 and a hold for $60--reducing your available balance by $117.50.
That's pretty bad for a poor person who doesn't have $60 to spare for three days waiting for the hold to expire. It can get much worse at hotels where they might put a hold on several hundred dollars in additional to actually charging several hundred dollars.
DVD Home: http://www.mydvddvds.com;
Classic Movies: http://www.mydvddvds.com/classic-movies-c-439.html;
TV Series: http://www.mydvddvds.com/tv-series-c-441.html.
Just make a cake, sweet and nice and you do not know you are eating Zucchini
Hi! There is another way banks get money & that is by people using there debit /checkcard & the company places a hold on the money & you don't know it. It could be Taco Bell ,ustAN EXAMPLE I DON"T KNOW IF THERE BANKING COMPANY DOES THIS OR NOT)
you order 3 taco belle grande & use your debit card, well, the company could put a hold of 50-$175 , which would make your account bounce , if you only have a small amount in it. This happens bunches. i know people who have had thishappen from gas stations, restaurants & grocery stores. Once the bounce happens they run your card through again sometimes 2-3 times ion one day & you are getting recharged bounced fees & maybe fees of like $8 per day till you can pay it. It isn't always the bank customers fault! Another thing they are doing is layering the pending charges that come through & floatig them for a week & then ordering them smallest to biggest , so you get more bounced check charges. I know Ohio has the unemployment card too . It's a pain. My Dad wold go to the bank it was issued on & withdraw the whole amount at once, that way no charges at all. Lisa~~Sorry about the grammar mistakes I tried to retype something & it keeps erasing the words
I agree 100%. I lived in L.A. for two years without a car (crazy right?) but I saved so much money by taking public transportation and walking. PLUS everyone wanted to know my secret to staying so thin and still eating like a pig (it was the walking which also saved me from a gym membership).
I think these bank fees are as unethical as the operations of credit card companies. Luckily, I have the education and financial skills to avoid ever having had a fee for either.
But I live in an area with a lot of poverty. Most poor people--and this would include the working poor--seem not to have bank accounts at all. A checking account would be a luxury for many.
I've built a site called hyperlocavore.com a free yard sharing community. People all over the country have joined looking for yard sharing partners. Some of us have space, some have skills, some have time...lots of us want to share - in order to grow more food CHEAPLY and close to home.
Organic doesn't need to break the bank. We're doing it!
Just make sure that you know that you're most likely only getting these deals for a year, or in the case of the extra movie channels for as little as one month.
I work for a cable company, and they do this to customers all the time. Usually if you call before the year is up, they'll keep you at the lower rate for another year, but after that it'll go back to full price.
When I use coupons at the grocery store I transfer the amount I saved to my savings account. I usually have at least $4 and sometimes as much as $15 in coupons each time I go and I go about twice a week. It's surprising how fast it adds up.
Just received an unsolicited debit card from netspend and immdiately cut it up after reading your experience. That's the best thing to do- cut it up and throw it away... Thanks.
For me, the worst part is the clean-up. I work and go to school full time, and I still cook from scratch (including baking my own bread). I find the cold fermentation techniques are best for busy people who want homemade bread. Also, I do my bread by hand, even though I have a stand mixer. I just mix it quickly w/ a wooden spoon (usually 2 minutes of stirring), then knead it for no more than 5 minutes, then toss it in the fridge overnight. Super easy and less clean-up than w/ the mixer.
As a cook who likes to avoid processed foods, flours, and sugars, I use zucchini A LOT. Shredded, it can go into almost any baking product and it even replaces potatoes in hashes. When I have a truckload left over, I usually shred it, squeeze out the water, and freeze it. That way, during the off season, it's easy to defrost and throw into soups, stir-fries, or make greek zucchini patties. Yum yummy.
Thanks Andrea.
Just came across your article.
Thanks for the tips.
Will check out some of these personal finance blogs.
I love rearranging the furniture. I do it at least twice a year just to change things up. I love the tables you have. They are very unique.