Most of your tips are wise. In fact, if they were applied more often than only in desperate times, they might even spare "us" the tips of sponging off elders. "Start the conversation with a compliment and a hug for mom. That’s half the battle already won." - Seriously? Sucking up to the parents for money just reached a new level of sad.
You made a great point there. Saving is really important before you start investing. A person should never invest in borrowed money nor stop learning or doing things that are good for his financial life.
I like to go swimming especially in one of the best beaches here in the Philippines. I really enjoy the white sand and the view that I can see when I'm on the beach.
I love Lift! I learned about it from a David Allen (GTD) tweet around the start of the year. The home screen of my iPhone shows 6 habits, so I limit myself to those. And every habit I've started to track has become a consistent part of my routine. It's been a great motivator for me to enforce self-accountability.
I think if you can afford to go with the 15 year, you should get that. Many people fall into a trap where they say that they'll just pay the 30 year with payments that would allow them to pay it in 15 (giving them the flexibility) but then find some reason or another to slow or eliminate the extra payment.
I love DIY as a homeowner but there are certain jobs that I just won't bother doing because I don't have the skills for them. If it takes a trades person years of experience and an education to become an electrician I'm not going to pretend I can do it without that experience. There's no sense spending money twice either. Making smart decisions makes more sense than trying to be a DIY hero.
I would think being near the ocean with potential hurricanes would disqualify Chesapeake, leaving Erie, PA as No.1. We have often commented on the safety of our community from natural disasters. The closest we have come was a tornado in the small town of Albion, about 45 min. drive, in the 1980s. I see there are many advocates for Erie posting here enumerating our many wonderful amenities, so I won't go into it, other than to mention a few things that weren't mentions, like the century-old, top of the line Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, Erie Playhouse, etc. - lots of culture (we are a college town with four universities and a medical school). Also the reconstructed Brig Niagara, Perry's ship in winning the battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, the Erie maritime Museum, and lots more history. Shopping is huge - it's hard to find a national chain store we don't have in our huge suburban mall and many large plazas. Eating out - not only almost every chain, but many fabulous local restaurants. People travel from all over to visit Presque Isle State Park and its many beautiful, clean fresh water beaches - 4 million visitors a year - more than Yellowstone National Park - yet never crowded. It's even a bird sanctuary with over 325 species having been sited. Yes we have big winter snows, but we're used to and are equipped for them. While some places are paralyzed with a few inches of snow, we can have two feet and the schools not be closed. Snowy winters are beautiful and make our lovely other seasons something to look forward to. We had the rust-belt loss of a lot of manufacturing years ago, but now hold our own very well compared with other places economically. Cost of living is comparatively reasonable. Like many places we have seen some crime increase, but still low and mostly limited to the bad neighborhoods (which every city has). Oops, and I wasn't going to talk much about Erie since others did. I moved here from NYC 35 years ago, and love it. My wife moved here from a town of 400 in northern Minnesota, and she loves it. And yes, natural disasters are unheard of around here.
Guest wrote:
"So a crippling economic recession isnt a natural disaster?" Well, Erie faired far biter than most places in the recession and is recovering strongly. Yes, young people leave for greener pastures after school, but it's amazing how many come back after being out in the rest of the big bad world. For most of us, Erie has it all.
Well, move to Erie then. It's on beautiful, clean, fresh water Lake Erie - Presque Isle State Park has many lovely beaches. And you don't have to get that sticky salt water feeling. And, while we are no New York or Orlando, Erie is by no means in the middle of no-where. We have just about everything. Want to visit an even bigger city - we're just 2 hour drive from Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Buffalo, three hours from Toronto, and equidistant between Chicago and New York. We put up with and get used to the snows, which just help us to enjoy even more our great summers.
We went to an office that offers a supplemental dental plan. It costs $50/yr and covers some of what our employer provided plan does not. We paid the balance in cash in advance (had flex benefit to cover it) to save another percentage. I can say that it's true that you can save money by starting early. Our son had braces for less than a year at age 8. He did not need the second phase as a teen. He had some minor shifting on the bottom but doesn't want to have any more work. So there's SEVERAL ways to save on ortho!
A lot of people commenting on the article are completely right. But they also seem very educated in finance matters.
This article is helpful by pointing out one of the very likely flip sides of the savings + compound interest magic pill that is aggressively fed to your average joes with minimal finance knowledge.
I would say know your strengths before starting a home improvement job~ and do your research on "how to".
Some of the items listed I would not attempt. But we've successfully done attic insulation and we're considering doing more. We've done drywall & tiling in the garage & kitchen & it came out great. I can tape & float drywall with no problem and I'm not a construction worker, just a mom with an office job! I tiled the kitchen backsplash myself and it's great!
My son actually replaced the back wall of our house with hardiplank for his Senior Project in high school and it looks like a professional job. He asked a neighbor who had done this on his own home to serve as his mentor and we all pitched in to do the work. It's really not that complicated!
Hmm. 3, 4, 6, 7, some 10. I'm sensing a pattern here.
It takes planning, knowledge, commitment, and time. You have to be prepared for everything to take much longer than it would for a professional. We've hired people to grind stumps, drill holes through our 18" thick stone foundation, and work on gas lines - all worth it. Next time, we'll consider hiring out drywall.
However, our house is an old fixer upper that needed some help - and hiring out all of those projects can get extremely expensive extremely quickly. If you have more time than money - prepare well and do it yourself.
I am an Erieite from birth and this is no news to us. It is one of the best things about our fine city. Another good thing is that Erie has everything you could want to buy. I have lived for a year or two here and there for awhile before moving back to Erie for good. None of the cities I lived in had the diversity of people and products that you find in Erie. I guess maybe NYC, but outside of NY, Erie has it all! PS You would probably be surprised to find out all of the famous people who come from the Erie area, and the huge part we have played in the history of our country. Join us on Saturday the 25th of May for the (Commodore Oliver Hazard) Perry 200 year celebration!
My goodness, did an orthodontist write this? It's filled with lots of cliches that have scant evidence to support them--see a board certified ortho, go early to save money, it's not just cosmetic. Although these may be accurate statements for some, they are certainly not universal truths and are widely disputed claims (especially the one to go early--there's lots of conflicting research on this). I'm not saying that these tips are completely wrong, but there are differing views out there. It would have been good for this article to present more of a balance. There also seems to be very little good advice in here about actually saving money.
We hibernate inside or try to travel to cooler climates because the heat in AZ is usually too unbearable for us. If it rains we are outside playing in it though!
One of my favorite travel experiences was driving across the country when I moved to Los Angeles. I purposefully left extra time in the trip so I could take back roads, and I discovered so many wonderful small-town museums, gorgeous outdoor attractions, and other neat stuff that I never would have seen otherwise.
Most of your tips are wise. In fact, if they were applied more often than only in desperate times, they might even spare "us" the tips of sponging off elders. "Start the conversation with a compliment and a hug for mom. That’s half the battle already won." - Seriously? Sucking up to the parents for money just reached a new level of sad.
You made a great point there. Saving is really important before you start investing. A person should never invest in borrowed money nor stop learning or doing things that are good for his financial life.
I like to go swimming especially in one of the best beaches here in the Philippines. I really enjoy the white sand and the view that I can see when I'm on the beach.
I love Lift! I learned about it from a David Allen (GTD) tweet around the start of the year. The home screen of my iPhone shows 6 habits, so I limit myself to those. And every habit I've started to track has become a consistent part of my routine. It's been a great motivator for me to enforce self-accountability.
I think if you can afford to go with the 15 year, you should get that. Many people fall into a trap where they say that they'll just pay the 30 year with payments that would allow them to pay it in 15 (giving them the flexibility) but then find some reason or another to slow or eliminate the extra payment.
Thanks for the reading recommendations. Looking forward to reading some great posts.
I love DIY as a homeowner but there are certain jobs that I just won't bother doing because I don't have the skills for them. If it takes a trades person years of experience and an education to become an electrician I'm not going to pretend I can do it without that experience. There's no sense spending money twice either. Making smart decisions makes more sense than trying to be a DIY hero.
Pool parties and visits to the beach are my go-to summer activities!
DIY's are good but there are things that you should only let experts to handle. Aside from the safety factor, you might do it right and cost you more.
i love erie
I would think being near the ocean with potential hurricanes would disqualify Chesapeake, leaving Erie, PA as No.1. We have often commented on the safety of our community from natural disasters. The closest we have come was a tornado in the small town of Albion, about 45 min. drive, in the 1980s. I see there are many advocates for Erie posting here enumerating our many wonderful amenities, so I won't go into it, other than to mention a few things that weren't mentions, like the century-old, top of the line Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, Erie Playhouse, etc. - lots of culture (we are a college town with four universities and a medical school). Also the reconstructed Brig Niagara, Perry's ship in winning the battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, the Erie maritime Museum, and lots more history. Shopping is huge - it's hard to find a national chain store we don't have in our huge suburban mall and many large plazas. Eating out - not only almost every chain, but many fabulous local restaurants. People travel from all over to visit Presque Isle State Park and its many beautiful, clean fresh water beaches - 4 million visitors a year - more than Yellowstone National Park - yet never crowded. It's even a bird sanctuary with over 325 species having been sited. Yes we have big winter snows, but we're used to and are equipped for them. While some places are paralyzed with a few inches of snow, we can have two feet and the schools not be closed. Snowy winters are beautiful and make our lovely other seasons something to look forward to. We had the rust-belt loss of a lot of manufacturing years ago, but now hold our own very well compared with other places economically. Cost of living is comparatively reasonable. Like many places we have seen some crime increase, but still low and mostly limited to the bad neighborhoods (which every city has). Oops, and I wasn't going to talk much about Erie since others did. I moved here from NYC 35 years ago, and love it. My wife moved here from a town of 400 in northern Minnesota, and she loves it. And yes, natural disasters are unheard of around here.
I enjoy camping and BBQs and playing with my daughter in water.
Guest wrote:
"So a crippling economic recession isnt a natural disaster?" Well, Erie faired far biter than most places in the recession and is recovering strongly. Yes, young people leave for greener pastures after school, but it's amazing how many come back after being out in the rest of the big bad world. For most of us, Erie has it all.
Well, move to Erie then. It's on beautiful, clean, fresh water Lake Erie - Presque Isle State Park has many lovely beaches. And you don't have to get that sticky salt water feeling. And, while we are no New York or Orlando, Erie is by no means in the middle of no-where. We have just about everything. Want to visit an even bigger city - we're just 2 hour drive from Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Buffalo, three hours from Toronto, and equidistant between Chicago and New York. We put up with and get used to the snows, which just help us to enjoy even more our great summers.
We went to an office that offers a supplemental dental plan. It costs $50/yr and covers some of what our employer provided plan does not. We paid the balance in cash in advance (had flex benefit to cover it) to save another percentage. I can say that it's true that you can save money by starting early. Our son had braces for less than a year at age 8. He did not need the second phase as a teen. He had some minor shifting on the bottom but doesn't want to have any more work. So there's SEVERAL ways to save on ortho!
A lot of people commenting on the article are completely right. But they also seem very educated in finance matters.
This article is helpful by pointing out one of the very likely flip sides of the savings + compound interest magic pill that is aggressively fed to your average joes with minimal finance knowledge.
I would say know your strengths before starting a home improvement job~ and do your research on "how to".
Some of the items listed I would not attempt. But we've successfully done attic insulation and we're considering doing more. We've done drywall & tiling in the garage & kitchen & it came out great. I can tape & float drywall with no problem and I'm not a construction worker, just a mom with an office job! I tiled the kitchen backsplash myself and it's great!
My son actually replaced the back wall of our house with hardiplank for his Senior Project in high school and it looks like a professional job. He asked a neighbor who had done this on his own home to serve as his mentor and we all pitched in to do the work. It's really not that complicated!
Hmm. 3, 4, 6, 7, some 10. I'm sensing a pattern here.
It takes planning, knowledge, commitment, and time. You have to be prepared for everything to take much longer than it would for a professional. We've hired people to grind stumps, drill holes through our 18" thick stone foundation, and work on gas lines - all worth it. Next time, we'll consider hiring out drywall.
However, our house is an old fixer upper that needed some help - and hiring out all of those projects can get extremely expensive extremely quickly. If you have more time than money - prepare well and do it yourself.
We make a killing on Black Friday sales on jeans!
I am an Erieite from birth and this is no news to us. It is one of the best things about our fine city. Another good thing is that Erie has everything you could want to buy. I have lived for a year or two here and there for awhile before moving back to Erie for good. None of the cities I lived in had the diversity of people and products that you find in Erie. I guess maybe NYC, but outside of NY, Erie has it all! PS You would probably be surprised to find out all of the famous people who come from the Erie area, and the huge part we have played in the history of our country. Join us on Saturday the 25th of May for the (Commodore Oliver Hazard) Perry 200 year celebration!
Great list. How many disasters started with an arrogant phrase "Well let me just try fix it myself first!" :)
I'd add all electricity-related jobs to the list. "Honey let's have another socket here" sometimes results in wires getting on fire.
My goodness, did an orthodontist write this? It's filled with lots of cliches that have scant evidence to support them--see a board certified ortho, go early to save money, it's not just cosmetic. Although these may be accurate statements for some, they are certainly not universal truths and are widely disputed claims (especially the one to go early--there's lots of conflicting research on this). I'm not saying that these tips are completely wrong, but there are differing views out there. It would have been good for this article to present more of a balance. There also seems to be very little good advice in here about actually saving money.
We hibernate inside or try to travel to cooler climates because the heat in AZ is usually too unbearable for us. If it rains we are outside playing in it though!
One of my favorite travel experiences was driving across the country when I moved to Los Angeles. I purposefully left extra time in the trip so I could take back roads, and I discovered so many wonderful small-town museums, gorgeous outdoor attractions, and other neat stuff that I never would have seen otherwise.
Spending time in the park, enjoying the beauty of nature, a variety of people and lots of kids and dogs.