I have the "made for Mac" webcam. There are no controls for it. It goes dark from time to time. When I unplug it, it goes back to normal. I can't believe Logitech doesn't have a program to control this product for people on a MAC when it say "Designed for Mac" on the box
West Virginia started making unemployment ONLY available via a Visa debit card that doesn't work at common stores like gas stations. But, there are "fees for using an ATM, fees for checking your balance, fees for trying to charge more than is left on your card." So, we can't, say, pay for groceries with what is left on the card, and then pay the rest in cash. We can't buy gasoline for the car. There are NO free cash withdrawals at an ATM, and there are only TWO ATMs and ONE BRANCH in the entire state!!
You can save up to $100 by buying a netbook with Linux instead of Windows. Check out the Dell site for minis...the Ubuntu version costs less, and doesn't require as much hardware. Most of the time all you need is a browser. Why not go with the low cost Linux option, and save the frills for the billionaires!
My husband hates dealing with the finances, but I absolutely love it. We lived with each other for a couple of years before getting married so we did talk about finances before marriage and our arragement works for us. I deal with the day to day and tell him about it as I do to keep him in the loop.
Right, just being poor wouldn't do it all by itself.
But being poor tends to go along with some of the other things (living in a poor neighborhood with few choices for banks, having parents who didn't learn about these things growing up themselves and don't know to teach them to their kids). And, of course, if you're really poor, some of the other stuff is harder (like accumulating a high enough minimum balance to avoid fees).
I don't think being poor is much of an excuse, on it's own, for paying unnecessary bank fees, unless you're poor because you're uneducated. They give everyone, even poor people, the litte pamphlets telling them what they need for a minimum balance. They can then choose not to bank there if it is too steep.
I've avoided large national banks because those are where most of the fees lie. The medium-sized regional bank I bank with covers most of my area of travel and offers free checking with a low minimum balance.
I have had my two current checking accounts for over 5 years. One with Washington Mutual, which was acquired by Chase in last year's meltdown.
And BofA. I had a $1000 overdraft limit built into both accounts, with no charges ever.
Just over the last three months or so they both have instituted a HUGE overdraft charge of $35.00 without ANY notification.
I'm cancelling both and going to ING.
Enough of the gouging banks.
If collection agencies are hounding you, you have a very important right which is outlined in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This is the right to have a collection account “validated.”
The collection agency must prove that the debt is legally yours and that they have the right to collect it from you. In addition, the collection agency must stop all collection activity until they can provide you with this evidence. If the agency cannot validate the debt, they must end their efforts to collect on it, and they must stop reporting the collection amount to all of the credit bureaus.
After I got dinged for going under my minimum account balance, I set up an automatic alert for my account. Whenever my account goes under a certain amount (an amount I determined that gives me a decent buffer before I'm under the minimum), I receive an e-mail from the bank. Each time I receive one, I know to check my balance, so I don't overdraw. No more fees for me!
P.S. Where you've written that banks "wave" the fees, it should read "waive."
I spent last summer backpacking around Europe on my Eurail pass and it was great for many of the reasons that you mentioned above. Though there were a couple of downsides to the whole train thing that I discovered once there.
First, if you plan on going to Eastern Europe at all, the trains are very slow. Just getting around the tiny country of the Czech Republic will take at least a few hours because of their crawling speeds. Also, from speaking with other travelers that I met, the bus can be exceptionally cheaper and faster in some cases. So, check into that option before you book your trip.
I was able to bring most of my meals (and drinks) on trains. Also, many of them have seats that fold out into beds (but not all!). The big plus was that I got to see a lot of beautiful views, which you just won't get on airplanes.
Is the zucchini itself! We julienne the zucchini (raw) till we have a heaping mound of "spaghetti" then we pour a dollop of fresh pesto on top of it. That's our raw zuchhini pesto pasta!
My favorite way of preparing zucchini in the summer (as there's no baking involved) is to make mock crab cakes, which are delicious. The recipe allow you to make full use of your bounty, as well as being easy. Links to recipe, video, and pics can be found at...
No zucchinis here either due to the weather, and what did grow to the size of a fingerling is rotting on the vine.
And here I was so looking forward to making zucchini pickles and boats...oh well, maybe next year
What I hate most is chopping vegetables for my homemade soup. I don't like the way the food processor chops them, but I don't want to spend 45 minutes chopping.
I've been using a recipe similar to the artisan bread recipe. I hand-knead it in just a few minutes, and as long as I use enough flour my hands don't get very messy.
I agree with Alicia - I waited tables all through college and if you can't afford to eat out, you should stay home. Here in the US paying a tip is part of eating out, it's how your server makes money. When I waited tables, my hourly wage was $1.50 and my taxes were determined assuming that I would get at least 15% in tips for each table.
As far as point #3 goes, I humbly disagree. Any good server when asked for a recommendation will base their recommendation on quality rather than cost - other than being the right thing to do, it makes good financial sense - satisfied customers tip more. If the $10 burger is sublime and the $20 steak is horrible, I will always recommend the burger.
My girlfriend and I share drinks but only at fast food places like Chipotle where you can fill your own drink.
What I do sometimes is order takeout during lunch and save it until dinner. The prices are less and the portions are healthier. Like at our favorite sushi joint its $8 for a lunch bento box which includes 2 rolls, soup, salad, and rice. All that for dinner would easily cost $20 each. Plus we dont have to pay for drinks and tip the waiter.
Zucchini works surprisingly well in chocolate cake recipes. Even better, cakes freeze better than zucchinis do on their own! I've made eight loaves of zucchini cake at a go before and just stuck them all in the freezer.
If you want to save money stay home! As a server I constantly see customers who want to save money by not tipping or sharing drinks or making their own lemonade. Ugh! Stay home. It is what I do when I have no money! I have had students who tell me they can't tip because they are broke! I tell them I am also a student and so I do not go out to eat when I can't afford it! Makes sense, huh?
I do not want to get another job because I am a student and this is the most flexible job I can get (i.e. works less during exam times and more during breaks) so I resent the people suggesting that we get another job. If all waiters quit then who would serve you?
I pride myself on providing good service and am shocked at the behavior of some people when they dine out, however I will continue to do this job because most people are really great customers! I have met many wonderful people while working in restaurants. I hope you all enjoy going out to eat but be aware that the people that serve you are also human.
Thanks for the post. Your blossom recipes look decadent. I tried a lovely cheese pizza in Rome topped with squash blossoms and anchovy fillets. Wonderful.
I don't even grow zucchini, but now I want to just so I can use the ideas in this column!
I have the "made for Mac" webcam. There are no controls for it. It goes dark from time to time. When I unplug it, it goes back to normal. I can't believe Logitech doesn't have a program to control this product for people on a MAC when it say "Designed for Mac" on the box
West Virginia started making unemployment ONLY available via a Visa debit card that doesn't work at common stores like gas stations. But, there are "fees for using an ATM, fees for checking your balance, fees for trying to charge more than is left on your card." So, we can't, say, pay for groceries with what is left on the card, and then pay the rest in cash. We can't buy gasoline for the car. There are NO free cash withdrawals at an ATM, and there are only TWO ATMs and ONE BRANCH in the entire state!!
You can save up to $100 by buying a netbook with Linux instead of Windows. Check out the Dell site for minis...the Ubuntu version costs less, and doesn't require as much hardware. Most of the time all you need is a browser. Why not go with the low cost Linux option, and save the frills for the billionaires!
My husband hates dealing with the finances, but I absolutely love it. We lived with each other for a couple of years before getting married so we did talk about finances before marriage and our arragement works for us. I deal with the day to day and tell him about it as I do to keep him in the loop.
@Emily:
Right, just being poor wouldn't do it all by itself.
But being poor tends to go along with some of the other things (living in a poor neighborhood with few choices for banks, having parents who didn't learn about these things growing up themselves and don't know to teach them to their kids). And, of course, if you're really poor, some of the other stuff is harder (like accumulating a high enough minimum balance to avoid fees).
@ Georgia S:
Yep, auto alerts can be very useful. And thanks for the misspelling alert--fixed!
I don't think being poor is much of an excuse, on it's own, for paying unnecessary bank fees, unless you're poor because you're uneducated. They give everyone, even poor people, the litte pamphlets telling them what they need for a minimum balance. They can then choose not to bank there if it is too steep.
I've avoided large national banks because those are where most of the fees lie. The medium-sized regional bank I bank with covers most of my area of travel and offers free checking with a low minimum balance.
I have had my two current checking accounts for over 5 years. One with Washington Mutual, which was acquired by Chase in last year's meltdown.
And BofA. I had a $1000 overdraft limit built into both accounts, with no charges ever.
Just over the last three months or so they both have instituted a HUGE overdraft charge of $35.00 without ANY notification.
I'm cancelling both and going to ING.
Enough of the gouging banks.
If collection agencies are hounding you, you have a very important right which is outlined in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This is the right to have a collection account “validated.”
The collection agency must prove that the debt is legally yours and that they have the right to collect it from you. In addition, the collection agency must stop all collection activity until they can provide you with this evidence. If the agency cannot validate the debt, they must end their efforts to collect on it, and they must stop reporting the collection amount to all of the credit bureaus.
After I got dinged for going under my minimum account balance, I set up an automatic alert for my account. Whenever my account goes under a certain amount (an amount I determined that gives me a decent buffer before I'm under the minimum), I receive an e-mail from the bank. Each time I receive one, I know to check my balance, so I don't overdraw. No more fees for me!
P.S. Where you've written that banks "wave" the fees, it should read "waive."
I've used this site a number of times too: Half Off America . Hope this helps.
I spent last summer backpacking around Europe on my Eurail pass and it was great for many of the reasons that you mentioned above. Though there were a couple of downsides to the whole train thing that I discovered once there.
First, if you plan on going to Eastern Europe at all, the trains are very slow. Just getting around the tiny country of the Czech Republic will take at least a few hours because of their crawling speeds. Also, from speaking with other travelers that I met, the bus can be exceptionally cheaper and faster in some cases. So, check into that option before you book your trip.
I was able to bring most of my meals (and drinks) on trains. Also, many of them have seats that fold out into beds (but not all!). The big plus was that I got to see a lot of beautiful views, which you just won't get on airplanes.
Is the zucchini itself! We julienne the zucchini (raw) till we have a heaping mound of "spaghetti" then we pour a dollop of fresh pesto on top of it. That's our raw zuchhini pesto pasta!
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
My favorite way of preparing zucchini in the summer (as there's no baking involved) is to make mock crab cakes, which are delicious. The recipe allow you to make full use of your bounty, as well as being easy. Links to recipe, video, and pics can be found at...
http://jenesaisrein.blogspot.com/2009/08/keep-it-simple-in-summerplus.html.
A great way to turn the "curse" of the zucchini into a blessing of abundance!
No zucchinis here either due to the weather, and what did grow to the size of a fingerling is rotting on the vine.
And here I was so looking forward to making zucchini pickles and boats...oh well, maybe next year
What I hate most is chopping vegetables for my homemade soup. I don't like the way the food processor chops them, but I don't want to spend 45 minutes chopping.
I've been using a recipe similar to the artisan bread recipe. I hand-knead it in just a few minutes, and as long as I use enough flour my hands don't get very messy.
I agree with Alicia - I waited tables all through college and if you can't afford to eat out, you should stay home. Here in the US paying a tip is part of eating out, it's how your server makes money. When I waited tables, my hourly wage was $1.50 and my taxes were determined assuming that I would get at least 15% in tips for each table.
As far as point #3 goes, I humbly disagree. Any good server when asked for a recommendation will base their recommendation on quality rather than cost - other than being the right thing to do, it makes good financial sense - satisfied customers tip more. If the $10 burger is sublime and the $20 steak is horrible, I will always recommend the burger.
i wish we had a bounty. we got all of 4 zukes and 3 yellow squash this year, thanks to a HORRIBLE growing season. :(
My girlfriend and I share drinks but only at fast food places like Chipotle where you can fill your own drink.
What I do sometimes is order takeout during lunch and save it until dinner. The prices are less and the portions are healthier. Like at our favorite sushi joint its $8 for a lunch bento box which includes 2 rolls, soup, salad, and rice. All that for dinner would easily cost $20 each. Plus we dont have to pay for drinks and tip the waiter.
Zucchini works surprisingly well in chocolate cake recipes. Even better, cakes freeze better than zucchinis do on their own! I've made eight loaves of zucchini cake at a go before and just stuck them all in the freezer.
If you want to save money stay home! As a server I constantly see customers who want to save money by not tipping or sharing drinks or making their own lemonade. Ugh! Stay home. It is what I do when I have no money! I have had students who tell me they can't tip because they are broke! I tell them I am also a student and so I do not go out to eat when I can't afford it! Makes sense, huh?
I do not want to get another job because I am a student and this is the most flexible job I can get (i.e. works less during exam times and more during breaks) so I resent the people suggesting that we get another job. If all waiters quit then who would serve you?
I pride myself on providing good service and am shocked at the behavior of some people when they dine out, however I will continue to do this job because most people are really great customers! I have met many wonderful people while working in restaurants. I hope you all enjoy going out to eat but be aware that the people that serve you are also human.
zucchini pasta sounds delicious i am sure it is going to be in menu tonight at home
Thanks for the post. Your blossom recipes look decadent. I tried a lovely cheese pizza in Rome topped with squash blossoms and anchovy fillets. Wonderful.