@JoeTaxpayer I used to buy my own as a part of my writing routine...I was pretty proud of myself because it was $1.75 and I would drink it at the coffee shop while I'd write. Then I'd get a free refill and take it back to M, who also loved this coffee.
Now we brew and pay closer to a quarter per cup. Kudos to you for getting it so low!
When I lived in France (Lyon, not Paris) I felt just like Hemingway did about the patesseries and the cafes.
When I was in Thailand, I was amazed at the price differences. It was not an expensive place to be. I met a couple who had been living on the beach with their toddler for a year, because it was so inexpensive (the beach houses were $15 a might where we were staying).
Cutting your overhead, though, can make a huge difference in your budget.
I use a front load washer at the laundromat. If there is an attendant, they can shorten the cycle for you. These quilts will last for years. I make mine with traditional batting and a good quality cotton for backing. My son still uses his and it is over 20 years old. His wife has patched a few places but he will not turn loose of it!!
I have made 8 or 9 quilts, shopping bags, trash bags for the car, aprons, covered kitchen chair seats, throw pillows, pillow shams, baby quilts, pot holders, place mats, wall quilts and window quilts for warmth in the winter, and probably more that I cannot remember right now.
One of my friends takes strips and weaves rugs on a loom, another one uses the flat fell seams and weaves place mats.
I brew my own. Made great progress with JaneTaxpayer, she used to buy a $4 cup ever day, now she found a not so cheap coffee she loves at $10/lb. That's about 25 cups, so down to 40 cents, not bad. Mine are under a dime....
A few points to consider with regards to mortgage acceleration, including using a HELOC to help pay it down even faster.
First, considering the debt burden our govt. is under, I've been hearing rumblings of the possible elimination of the mortgage interest deduction. Mind you, this is not very likely now at least, but there is still the possibility that it could, one day, be eliminated or reduced in some capacity. I heard Mark Calabria with the CATO Institute mention this possibility on CNBC today (Aug. 27, 2009). See the video here (the mortgage deduction was brought up around minute 1:50):
Second, one should first set aside money for retirement &/or investment from one's paycheck BEFORE these acceleration methods are employed. Then, and ONLY IF ONE'S BUDGET ALLOWS, should one use an acceleration method. I've heard that one should set aside 10% of one's income for investment/savings/retirement. But after you've saved 10% of your income why not use the rest of your surplus cash to pay down your mortgage?
Third, if one wants to spend money on other things such as a personal trainer or a vacation, one can do so. This simply means that if one spends money on well-deserved "pleasures" then less is applied to one's mortgage that month. No big deal. Mortgage acceleration isn't about denying one's self the luxury of living a full life.
Fourth, if one pays down their mortgage and then chooses to move, then one has that much more equity with which to purchase a new home. Or, one has that much more equity they could choose to pull from to apply as a down-payment on a rental property or a second home. By paying down one's mortgage, one has that much more available to them for other options/investments in life sooner. If one doesn't choose to pay down their mortgage faster then one could still buy a rental or second home (or other investment), but it may take longer or require more creative ways to come up with the money.
Fifth, if one cannot live within a budget, well, then that person probably shouldn't risk using a mortgage acceleration method that employs a HELOC or some other form of credit. This type of person should build a 3- to 6-month savings cushion BEFORE using any credit for a mortgage acceleration budget. This accomplishes two things, 1) it helps the person discipline him or herself with a budget, and 2) provides a 3- to 6-month living expenses cushion should things get out-of-hand.
In the end, though, if one cannot live within a budget and they cannot build a 3- to 6-month cushion then they won't be able to benefit from a mortgage acceleration budget. And that is unfortunate. And worse, they may end up losing their home.
I believe I could add more to this conversation but I won't. In closing I think it is important for people to realize that they don't have to spend some $3000 to $4000, or even just $400 on software to "do" a mortgage acceleration program. One can learn everything they need to know about how to use a HELOC to affect a mortgage acceleration budget on their own by researching this subject on the Internet (or, possibly, using Julie Rains' guide or spreadsheet here - my disclosure: I've not looked at her stuff closely, but my gut feeling is that it is worthwhile). It really is as simple as using SOME of a HELOC account to make a payment on one's mortgage, then using all of one's paycheck to pay down the borrowed amount from the HELOC. The key is finding the right balance of how much of the HELOC should be borrowed compared to how much one can pay that HELOC back down to near zero. In short, BUDGETING how much to borrow vs. how much can be repayed in each month.
Same story here - opened the mail to find a credit card that we didn't apply for. And since we didn't apply for it I wonder if Netspend violated any laws requesting or extending credit, pre-paid or otherwise. There are laws: Business can't run credit reports on you without a legitimate business purpose. And since we didn't request this, no type of contractual agreement - who is unauthorized 3rd party to assume I want anything to do with them, let alone peek at my credit and lower my score?
Bottom line, we thought we were being scammed or worse, identity theft when this card arrived in the mail. I wonder how many people are taken advantage of by this company. One things for sure, I have absolutely NO confidence in their ethics or business practices. We won't be using them for anything other than the shredder once the Atty General gets his copy.
Noticed that the carpool sites are mainly for regional, suburban commuters. A site for cross country ride sharing is LiftSurfer. Complement that with couch surfing , and you have a cheap and ecological way of travelling.
Well made Lithium (properly refined) last much longer than Silver Oxide. Good Lithium cells last about 8x longer than Alkaline
Very few button batteries (by type/size) are made with lithium. That WILL be an improvement, and it will come, RSN.
Alkaline/Silver/Lithium has only a little bit to do with the price. You are paying for the convenience of having a small device/battery. ALL button cell batteries cost much less than a single AA Alkaline battery to produce, and yet you are charged much more per unit, and especially per unit of power than AA Alkaline OR AA Lithium.
Lithium AA and, if you can find them, AAA, are fantastic.
Lithium has 8x the power (Ah), and 8x the shelf life.
BTW - the cell voltages of both Silver Oxide and Lithium cells are a bit higher than Alkaline, about 0.05 to 0.10 volts - measurable, but not harmful to the electronics.
I do not know what the little 9.3mm x 3.0mm batteries are, but they are not 394s.
394 batteries are Silver Oxide, not Alkaline chemistry, AND they are 9.5mm x 3.6mm.
Clearly these are something else!
Other than that, this was helpful, I just yanked an old A23 ($1.50) off my shelf (I use them in my RS Infrared Thermometers), and replaced the 3 dead LR44 batteries in my new $2 LED Screwdriver.
With 5 batteries left over.
And the steel casing from the outside of the A23 was great! I used it to take up the empty space generated by using smaller batteries.
When I shoped recently at my local Green Grocer in RI, I actually asked them which method they preferred as I know a bit of their profit is skimmed on debit/credit purchases.
I was told that on purchases of $50 or less, they prefer a credit card transaction as they pay a percentage of the total purchase for credit.
If the purchase is more than $50, they prefer a debit card transaction as retailers are charged a flat per-transaction charge for debits.
I'm in my late 20's and never had a cell phone. I'm sure that kids who had parents that paid for all their stuff got started young with cell phone usage. As for me when I'm not at work, I'm at home and when I'm not there either I'm out and don't want to be bothered.
I can understand that some people want to be connected 24/7, it is convenient like if you're stuck in traffic and running late for an appointment but you pay the price. But sometimes I need my privacy and want to be left alone even at home. I also hate it when I'm hanging out with someone and they are too busy answering calls and talking on their cell phone. I was recently helping a friend with painting a room and his buddy who was too lazy to come and help kept interrupting with his calls.
I can make most of my phone calls at home. All my friends carry cell phones in case of a 911 emergency. I have friends in the 25 to 28 age group who have debt and still use a $45-$100 a month contract plan cell phone. Some include the Blackberry phone with internet. Texting is the "in" thing too and sending pics through cell phones. All the costs add up including charges for going over the limit. So many people have found "extra" charges on their bills. If you don't want to be a slave of the phone companies then prepaid cell phones are really the way to go to watch your spending. If you use your cell phone a lot then look into a contract plan you can afford and ask about hidden charges and access fees. Make sure you read the fine print.
IRS may be able to provide some relief, such as a short-term extension of up to six months to pay your bill. Or you may be able to work out a monthly payment plan. The IRS is required to accept what you owe in monthly installments of up to three years if your total tax liability (not counting interest and penalties) is $10,000 or less.
The Obama administration projects the overall economy will shrink by 1.2 percent this year, but rebound with solid 3.2 percent growth in 2010, followed by 4 percent growth in the three following years.
so hi my name is melanie and i must say u people are all rude...u know what i am a responsible homeowner and i agree that when you have a mortgage you should pay it but when your husband gets laid off work and all you have money for is food to feed your kids all responsibility go's out the window ..have any of you ever sat and watched your kids eat and wondered if they were gonna be homeless the next day..it's a horrible feeling...and no the government did not swoop in and help us at all! we just about lost our home and had to get 2 title loans to get the money we needed the money to save our home and our lenders did nothing to help us and on top of all of it we were scammed 4g by a loan modification company !!! i dont believe that it is fair for iresponsable people to get help but what about the responsible ones who aren't looking for a handout?
we did not buy a home to big for us to handle it's actually to small for us and now we cant by a new home because the forclosure process was started on our existing mortgage and our credit is ruined ...what do you have to say about that??
Poster #1 here again with a few follow-up thoughts:
@Paul - thank you.
@#14 - You're right, it's not a sound argument. However, it's the way things work. The other reason servers expect to get paid percentage (and why some people do really well in cheap restaurants) is turn-around time. For example, if you go to a quick-service restaurant where entrees are around $7, the turnaround is very high, so its okay that the servers aren't getting huge tips per table, because they turn a lot of tables. On the other hand, in a higher-end restaurant with entrees of $20+, most people expect to sit for a while and (honestly) receive more attentive service, so a server has a lot fewer tables over the course of a night. So, the percentage thing is completely stupid, but it works. I've done both (in the past) and made about the same amount of money on a per-hour basis.
@#22 - Tipping by percentage based on quality of service is an excellent idea. However, make sure you either make your expectations clear (i.e. "Please keep my cup full.") or speak with the management prior to leaving if service was disappointing. Often, servers recieve a smaller-than-normal tip and aren't sure whether it was based on service or a cheap customer. If you pull aside the manager and let him/her know about your concerns, they will have the opportunity to let the server know how to improve. Most poor service in this country is a result of poor training. Also, I re-read my original post in response to your last two sentences and I will stand by it. I do not believe I was whining, just stating the facts as I came to know them through some tough times. And incidentally, I am not a server any more - but it did land me a lucrative job in a medical practice (of all places.) But if I had to, I would go back to it in a heartbeat - because most customers are great people.
I only tip on quality of service. I actually rarely give a good tip, because good service is hard to come by. Plus, if you dont like the wages, get another job. Dont be such a whinner
Green Planet and Me promotes a large range of green products that can help you save money and help the environment. In addition, it also has some practical day-to-day tips on how to save money by being green, for example:
This is an interesting topic. I agree that lunches should be simple, especially work lunches. However, they don't need to be boring. Instead of tuna in water, spend a little more for tuna in olive oil. Instead of typical sliced white bread, buy fresh bread from a local baker and cut into thin slices and toast (This will last all week).
So many Americans are turned off by food because it is boring and tasteless. Spending, just a little more, on food will increase happiness and quality of life (and if you're frugal with other things in your life, car, clothes, etc., you'll be fine financially).
@JoeTaxpayer I used to buy my own as a part of my writing routine...I was pretty proud of myself because it was $1.75 and I would drink it at the coffee shop while I'd write. Then I'd get a free refill and take it back to M, who also loved this coffee.
Now we brew and pay closer to a quarter per cup. Kudos to you for getting it so low!
The Writer's Coin | Follow me on Twitter
I like tip #9. If you truly want to save money, don't order a drink. Restaurants usually provide water for free.
Great article, great tips.
Great list of resources! couchsurfing.com is great for travelers!
Very good article to present the basics.
There are also some other ways for big amounts.
When I lived in France (Lyon, not Paris) I felt just like Hemingway did about the patesseries and the cafes.
When I was in Thailand, I was amazed at the price differences. It was not an expensive place to be. I met a couple who had been living on the beach with their toddler for a year, because it was so inexpensive (the beach houses were $15 a might where we were staying).
Cutting your overhead, though, can make a huge difference in your budget.
I use a front load washer at the laundromat. If there is an attendant, they can shorten the cycle for you. These quilts will last for years. I make mine with traditional batting and a good quality cotton for backing. My son still uses his and it is over 20 years old. His wife has patched a few places but he will not turn loose of it!!
I have made 8 or 9 quilts, shopping bags, trash bags for the car, aprons, covered kitchen chair seats, throw pillows, pillow shams, baby quilts, pot holders, place mats, wall quilts and window quilts for warmth in the winter, and probably more that I cannot remember right now.
One of my friends takes strips and weaves rugs on a loom, another one uses the flat fell seams and weaves place mats.
I brew my own. Made great progress with JaneTaxpayer, she used to buy a $4 cup ever day, now she found a not so cheap coffee she loves at $10/lb. That's about 25 cups, so down to 40 cents, not bad. Mine are under a dime....
A few points to consider with regards to mortgage acceleration, including using a HELOC to help pay it down even faster.
First, considering the debt burden our govt. is under, I've been hearing rumblings of the possible elimination of the mortgage interest deduction. Mind you, this is not very likely now at least, but there is still the possibility that it could, one day, be eliminated or reduced in some capacity. I heard Mark Calabria with the CATO Institute mention this possibility on CNBC today (Aug. 27, 2009). See the video here (the mortgage deduction was brought up around minute 1:50):
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1228637841&play=1
Second, one should first set aside money for retirement &/or investment from one's paycheck BEFORE these acceleration methods are employed. Then, and ONLY IF ONE'S BUDGET ALLOWS, should one use an acceleration method. I've heard that one should set aside 10% of one's income for investment/savings/retirement. But after you've saved 10% of your income why not use the rest of your surplus cash to pay down your mortgage?
Third, if one wants to spend money on other things such as a personal trainer or a vacation, one can do so. This simply means that if one spends money on well-deserved "pleasures" then less is applied to one's mortgage that month. No big deal. Mortgage acceleration isn't about denying one's self the luxury of living a full life.
Fourth, if one pays down their mortgage and then chooses to move, then one has that much more equity with which to purchase a new home. Or, one has that much more equity they could choose to pull from to apply as a down-payment on a rental property or a second home. By paying down one's mortgage, one has that much more available to them for other options/investments in life sooner. If one doesn't choose to pay down their mortgage faster then one could still buy a rental or second home (or other investment), but it may take longer or require more creative ways to come up with the money.
Fifth, if one cannot live within a budget, well, then that person probably shouldn't risk using a mortgage acceleration method that employs a HELOC or some other form of credit. This type of person should build a 3- to 6-month savings cushion BEFORE using any credit for a mortgage acceleration budget. This accomplishes two things, 1) it helps the person discipline him or herself with a budget, and 2) provides a 3- to 6-month living expenses cushion should things get out-of-hand.
In the end, though, if one cannot live within a budget and they cannot build a 3- to 6-month cushion then they won't be able to benefit from a mortgage acceleration budget. And that is unfortunate. And worse, they may end up losing their home.
I believe I could add more to this conversation but I won't. In closing I think it is important for people to realize that they don't have to spend some $3000 to $4000, or even just $400 on software to "do" a mortgage acceleration program. One can learn everything they need to know about how to use a HELOC to affect a mortgage acceleration budget on their own by researching this subject on the Internet (or, possibly, using Julie Rains' guide or spreadsheet here - my disclosure: I've not looked at her stuff closely, but my gut feeling is that it is worthwhile). It really is as simple as using SOME of a HELOC account to make a payment on one's mortgage, then using all of one's paycheck to pay down the borrowed amount from the HELOC. The key is finding the right balance of how much of the HELOC should be borrowed compared to how much one can pay that HELOC back down to near zero. In short, BUDGETING how much to borrow vs. how much can be repayed in each month.
Just sold my fridge and not replacing it.
No car.
Line dry.
Rarely eat out.
No cable - borrow DVDs from library.
Easier to not spend money than to go somewhere and spend. Ever the paradox.
Same story here - opened the mail to find a credit card that we didn't apply for. And since we didn't apply for it I wonder if Netspend violated any laws requesting or extending credit, pre-paid or otherwise. There are laws: Business can't run credit reports on you without a legitimate business purpose. And since we didn't request this, no type of contractual agreement - who is unauthorized 3rd party to assume I want anything to do with them, let alone peek at my credit and lower my score?
Bottom line, we thought we were being scammed or worse, identity theft when this card arrived in the mail. I wonder how many people are taken advantage of by this company. One things for sure, I have absolutely NO confidence in their ethics or business practices. We won't be using them for anything other than the shredder once the Atty General gets his copy.
Noticed that the carpool sites are mainly for regional, suburban commuters. A site for cross country ride sharing is LiftSurfer. Complement that with couch surfing , and you have a cheap and ecological way of travelling.
Silver Oxide lasts longer than Alkaline.
Well made Lithium (properly refined) last much longer than Silver Oxide. Good Lithium cells last about 8x longer than Alkaline
Very few button batteries (by type/size) are made with lithium. That WILL be an improvement, and it will come, RSN.
Alkaline/Silver/Lithium has only a little bit to do with the price. You are paying for the convenience of having a small device/battery. ALL button cell batteries cost much less than a single AA Alkaline battery to produce, and yet you are charged much more per unit, and especially per unit of power than AA Alkaline OR AA Lithium.
Lithium AA and, if you can find them, AAA, are fantastic.
Lithium has 8x the power (Ah), and 8x the shelf life.
BTW - the cell voltages of both Silver Oxide and Lithium cells are a bit higher than Alkaline, about 0.05 to 0.10 volts - measurable, but not harmful to the electronics.
I do not know what the little 9.3mm x 3.0mm batteries are, but they are not 394s.
394 batteries are Silver Oxide, not Alkaline chemistry, AND they are 9.5mm x 3.6mm.
Clearly these are something else!
Other than that, this was helpful, I just yanked an old A23 ($1.50) off my shelf (I use them in my RS Infrared Thermometers), and replaced the 3 dead LR44 batteries in my new $2 LED Screwdriver.
With 5 batteries left over.
And the steel casing from the outside of the A23 was great! I used it to take up the empty space generated by using smaller batteries.
When I shoped recently at my local Green Grocer in RI, I actually asked them which method they preferred as I know a bit of their profit is skimmed on debit/credit purchases.
I was told that on purchases of $50 or less, they prefer a credit card transaction as they pay a percentage of the total purchase for credit.
If the purchase is more than $50, they prefer a debit card transaction as retailers are charged a flat per-transaction charge for debits.
I'm in my late 20's and never had a cell phone. I'm sure that kids who had parents that paid for all their stuff got started young with cell phone usage. As for me when I'm not at work, I'm at home and when I'm not there either I'm out and don't want to be bothered.
I can understand that some people want to be connected 24/7, it is convenient like if you're stuck in traffic and running late for an appointment but you pay the price. But sometimes I need my privacy and want to be left alone even at home. I also hate it when I'm hanging out with someone and they are too busy answering calls and talking on their cell phone. I was recently helping a friend with painting a room and his buddy who was too lazy to come and help kept interrupting with his calls.
I can make most of my phone calls at home. All my friends carry cell phones in case of a 911 emergency. I have friends in the 25 to 28 age group who have debt and still use a $45-$100 a month contract plan cell phone. Some include the Blackberry phone with internet. Texting is the "in" thing too and sending pics through cell phones. All the costs add up including charges for going over the limit. So many people have found "extra" charges on their bills. If you don't want to be a slave of the phone companies then prepaid cell phones are really the way to go to watch your spending. If you use your cell phone a lot then look into a contract plan you can afford and ask about hidden charges and access fees. Make sure you read the fine print.
IRS may be able to provide some relief, such as a short-term extension of up to six months to pay your bill. Or you may be able to work out a monthly payment plan. The IRS is required to accept what you owe in monthly installments of up to three years if your total tax liability (not counting interest and penalties) is $10,000 or less.
The Obama administration projects the overall economy will shrink by 1.2 percent this year, but rebound with solid 3.2 percent growth in 2010, followed by 4 percent growth in the three following years.
so hi my name is melanie and i must say u people are all rude...u know what i am a responsible homeowner and i agree that when you have a mortgage you should pay it but when your husband gets laid off work and all you have money for is food to feed your kids all responsibility go's out the window ..have any of you ever sat and watched your kids eat and wondered if they were gonna be homeless the next day..it's a horrible feeling...and no the government did not swoop in and help us at all! we just about lost our home and had to get 2 title loans to get the money we needed the money to save our home and our lenders did nothing to help us and on top of all of it we were scammed 4g by a loan modification company !!! i dont believe that it is fair for iresponsable people to get help but what about the responsible ones who aren't looking for a handout?
we did not buy a home to big for us to handle it's actually to small for us and now we cant by a new home because the forclosure process was started on our existing mortgage and our credit is ruined ...what do you have to say about that??
Poster #1 here again with a few follow-up thoughts:
@Paul - thank you.
@#14 - You're right, it's not a sound argument. However, it's the way things work. The other reason servers expect to get paid percentage (and why some people do really well in cheap restaurants) is turn-around time. For example, if you go to a quick-service restaurant where entrees are around $7, the turnaround is very high, so its okay that the servers aren't getting huge tips per table, because they turn a lot of tables. On the other hand, in a higher-end restaurant with entrees of $20+, most people expect to sit for a while and (honestly) receive more attentive service, so a server has a lot fewer tables over the course of a night. So, the percentage thing is completely stupid, but it works. I've done both (in the past) and made about the same amount of money on a per-hour basis.
@#22 - Tipping by percentage based on quality of service is an excellent idea. However, make sure you either make your expectations clear (i.e. "Please keep my cup full.") or speak with the management prior to leaving if service was disappointing. Often, servers recieve a smaller-than-normal tip and aren't sure whether it was based on service or a cheap customer. If you pull aside the manager and let him/her know about your concerns, they will have the opportunity to let the server know how to improve. Most poor service in this country is a result of poor training. Also, I re-read my original post in response to your last two sentences and I will stand by it. I do not believe I was whining, just stating the facts as I came to know them through some tough times. And incidentally, I am not a server any more - but it did land me a lucrative job in a medical practice (of all places.) But if I had to, I would go back to it in a heartbeat - because most customers are great people.
do you think draino would work for cleaning off a video game?
I only tip on quality of service. I actually rarely give a good tip, because good service is hard to come by. Plus, if you dont like the wages, get another job. Dont be such a whinner
Green Planet and Me promotes a large range of green products that can help you save money and help the environment. In addition, it also has some practical day-to-day tips on how to save money by being green, for example:
Saving Money By Going Green: Stimulus Tax Credits
Green Living Tips
And more!
This is an interesting topic. I agree that lunches should be simple, especially work lunches. However, they don't need to be boring. Instead of tuna in water, spend a little more for tuna in olive oil. Instead of typical sliced white bread, buy fresh bread from a local baker and cut into thin slices and toast (This will last all week).
So many Americans are turned off by food because it is boring and tasteless. Spending, just a little more, on food will increase happiness and quality of life (and if you're frugal with other things in your life, car, clothes, etc., you'll be fine financially).
So, practice "selective frugality!"
Vince from Scordo.com - Be Practical, Live Better