Share Your Top Money Mgt Tips

[Chelsea]

These are great ideas for people making enough money to have housing an insurance issues. From the perspective of someone who has never made more than $9.10/hr here is how we save money. First iff e never throw away change. if we get change back, find it, or have some just lying around it gioes in a big jar and we collect it after the months up (usually $20 or so). .
Second we collect metal. Aluminum cans, broken pipes, etc... the junkyard will pay $14 per every 2 big bags of aluminum cans..
Thirdly we handwash and dry our clothes. Its effective just more time consuming and saves us $20 a week in laundry costs.
We fill up our gas tank once a week and if it doesn't cut it, everything we really need is around the corner. Our sons school,two shopping centers on either side of us a block down, and our bank.
We sell palm roses that we make from palm leaves to tourists on the strip. They go for $5-$15 bucks a pop and if we are ever really desperate we stay there all day/night

 

[Pinkie]

O, I have been poor -- quite desperately so, as it happens. I was on welfare when my daughter was born, as my now-ex had deserted me when I fell deathly ill in my 4th month. Anyone who thinks welfare is now or ever has been "easy" is a total fool. I had to buy drugs, toilet paper, rent and heat on less than $150/month.

Staying clean, warm (or cool), safe and fed are HUGE challenges if you are poor, and if you are poor, have kids and are ill, it can be insurmountably hard. Find a safe place to live, and as Chelsea points out, a rural setting is not usually feasible for you. "Safe" includes stable, so I do not usually recommend a room in someone's home or a roommate or any situation that leaves you dependent on the good graces of another person you don't know well for your continued right to occupy. Don't wait for Section 7; that's a pipedream. Don't buy a car if there is any way you can get by on public transport -- vehicles are a HUGE money suck.

If you have even enough health to offer maid service, many apartment complexes will trade you rent or reduced-price rent for your cleaning services (and possibly painting services) on newly-vacated apartments. If you have skills as a handyman, you could look at being a resident manager, and there are tons of 8 and 16 unit buildings around who need one. Usually, you will not get a salary, just free rent -- but it's a safe, stable home and solves a good portion of the "how to survive" puzzle.

Small, clean and safe housing is always, always better than large, no matter how much crap you have or how many kids you're providing for. You can heat and cool a small place more cheaply, and small units will rent for far less in better neighborhoods -- basement apartments in private homes are another decent choice, if you can find them in good neighborhoods.

Almost no one has zero marketable skills, regardless of education or health. Can you babysit? Drive? Clean? Paint? Answer the phone? Not only can you make money doing all those things, you can start home-based businesses with those skills and make a subsistence level income. If that income is reliable, you can do anything with enough time -- stable, reliable income, like stable expenses, gives you a platform on which to make plans.

 

[Pinkie]

Needless to say, my best money tip for young women is: don't let a louse get you pregnant. You never know how that will proceed, and pregnancy and new babies cost the earth, even healthy ones. If you're dating a "bad boy" or are in a marriage but don't trust your husband, DON'T GET PREGNANT.

 

[Pinkie]

These are great ideas for people making enough money to have housing an insurance issues. From the perspective of someone who has never made more than $9.10/hr here is how we save money. First iff e never throw away change. if we get change back, find it, or have some just lying around it gioes in a big jar and we collect it after the months up (usually $20 or so). .
Second we collect metal. Aluminum cans, broken pipes, etc... the junkyard will pay $14 per every 2 big bags of aluminum cans..
Thirdly we handwash and dry our clothes. Its effective just more time consuming and saves us $20 a week in laundry costs.
We fill up our gas tank once a week and if it doesn't cut it, everything we really need is around the corner. Our sons school,two shopping centers on either side of us a block down, and our bank.
We sell palm roses that we make from palm leaves to tourists on the strip. They go for $5-$15 bucks a pop and if we are ever really desperate we stay there all day/night

Chelsea, you can sell handcrafted goods online for free at Amazon.com, and I believe esty.com is also free of charge. I doubt this will ever replace the direct sales income you need, but it might could supplement it -- and if you are collecting wild plant material, you can easily sell more of it. Pinecones, moss, even rocks are all marketable -- I just paid a lady in California for a rare type of moss.

Any city parks department (or state, or federal) should have guidelines on collection, so you'd know you were doing this legally -- and try to avoid going there alone, k?

 

[Pinkie]

I am trying to organize myself enough to order groceries online -- this might never be possible for produce, meat, etc. but it certainly is as to paper products, etc. I have found a few sites that will deliver for free (Walmarts is one, if the order is larger than $25) and there's a site that will load print coupons onto a store loyalty card so you don't have to clip (or worse, print) them. It's called shortcuts.com.

Other good sites for couponing are couponlender.com and thegrocerygame.com, but both anticipate that you will shop in the store, or worse, shop in several stores. Thegrocerygame.com is very useful, but it's only free in the beginning, and I'm not sure I'd see enough savings to justify paying for it.

I'm just one person and certainly no gourmet, and still I can't seem to get my grocery bill below about $300/month. This is partially because, as a single adult, I am throwing away a whole lot of fresh food.

I also have allergies that kick off every fall, and when my sinuses, etc. are irritated, I'm at risk for every infection going. My doctor wants me to use Claritin and such, but these OTC drugs are extremely pricey -- and when you need them 6 months out of the year, that's a problem. So I'm looking for a home remedy that will give me some relief (the OTC drugs don't work very well on my anyway), and to that end, I bought a humidifier at the thrift store for $4. I already have air cleaners in the office and bedroom, but of course, it does get dry as dust in my house when the heat is on.

All suggestions will be gratefully received -- as would help with the chronic expense of the U-Verse bill!

 

[LaughAtTheWorld]

1) Like Tess, I always deduct even a small part of my pay to a savings account and just act as if I forgot it. That account helped me avert financial disasters 2 times and is very vital to be financially secure.
2) Don't use just one bank for savings and investments. I use about 3 banks and even though I don't get as much returns and they always vary, it's a form of insurance that I consider.
3) Personally, I don't use credit cards, but have 1 pre-paid card. Although some of my property is mortgaged, I try to have as much as my "personal" spending as pre-paid as possible. Although there aren't as many benefits (such as "points" or free gifts or discounts or such) as using a credit card, I reckon that I still save much more money from restricting my spending.

These are just generic advice that I use. Of course, being on an entirely foreign country, the situation may be different from most the users here, but I think these are rather good ones.

 

[Pinkie]

I understand Manc Skipper's reasoning as to paying off debt rather than saving first, but IME, it's faulty reasoning. If you save three months' expense money (or that is your goal), then a flat tire, a speeding ticket, a broken water heater won't cause you to run up your total debt -- and unless you have this cushion, it is not reasonable to believe that you will ever finish paying off credit card debt.

If you have zero savings, it might be wise to "save" a credit card with a zero balance for the emergency you might face before you can accumulate your cushion, but after you should cut the card up (although don't cancel the card, as that will lower your credit rating).

Remember -- if you take a cash advance on your credit card, no matter what your usual interest rate may be, it'll almost always be above 25% at least on the cash advance amount -- and in some cases, on the entire balance.

 

[Pinkie]

I understand Manc Skipper's reasoning as to paying off debt rather than saving first, but IME, it's faulty reasoning. If you save three months' expense money (or that is your goal), then a flat tire, a speeding ticket, a broken water heater won't cause you to run up your total debt -- and unless you have this cushion, it is not reasonable to believe that you will ever finish paying off credit card debt.

If you have zero savings, it might be wise to "save" a credit card with a zero balance for the emergency you might face before you can accumulate your cushion, but after you should cut the card up (although don't cancel the card, as that will lower your credit rating).

Remember -- if you take a cash advance on your credit card, no matter what your usual interest rate may be, it'll almost always be above 25% at least on the cash advance amount -- and in some cases, on the entire balance.

 

[PirateMk1]

Last year, my bank notified me that my debit card data had been stolen off their server and my bank REFUSED to accept any liability for a fraudulent charge, if one was made. It was a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and while I agree with you, Mags, the bottom line is, if the cost of insuring against these losses is modest, that's far more secure and less stressful than trying to hold some huge bank's feet to the fire.

More importantly, an identity thief can open loans other than credit cards in your name: mortgages, car loans, lines of credit, etc.

BTW, the sub of Royal Bank of Scotland I was using is no longer my bank.

Well that one is real easy. "Oh really then I guess I will be banking elsewhere,...... today. Could please kindly close my account. Thank you. As my account is now closed I will no longer be liable for any charges on it due to your negligence. Pleasent day to you." Something of one way conversation but really, who needs to be two way about such foolishness? I just cant believe a bank would be so foolish. Wait. Never mind I just thought of Bank of America. I wonder how many accounts your old bank lost because of that?

 

[PirateMk1]

I've seen prices rise, while my (retirement) income has remained stagnant and my health insurance went poof! At this stage of life, I feel very securely middle class, but it took some doin', and still does. So, what're my top money mgt tips?

* Don't make financial choices emotionally. If I could alter this one for all my friends and family, they'd all be wealthy inside a decade. Stop saying "I need it", "I earned it", "I couldn't bear not to have it" until you first decide whether you can afford it. If you cannot, it doesn't make a helluva lot of difference whether or nor you want it.

* Don't keep money secrets. Tell your kids, in an age-appropriate manner, what the family budget is. Engage them in helping to hold down costs ("if we trim the food budget this week, we might could go see a movie", e.g.). As your kids grow up, teach them about checking accounts, credit scores, insurance, car buying, etc by allowing them to shadow you making such choices.

* Pay yourself first. You absolutely need an emergency savings account equal to at least three months' expenses and I cannot stress this enough: if you have a regular paycheck but refuse to do this small savings exercise, then no matter how much you earn, you are choosing to live with a heinous amount of stress and worry about money.

Same idea: my generation, the Boomers, is the last to feel confident about Social Security and Medicare, and we ain't all that sanguine. You must save for retirement and you must treat retirement as a bigger priority than your child's college. Do not ever, ever, ever borrow against your retirement to pay current expenses.

* Review your expenses at least twice a year, and renegotiate/reconsider all of them. You may say you cannot renegotiate your mortgage, but you can: if you took out an FHA loan to buy and have been in your home long enough to enjoy a 10% rise in value (or decline in the principle balance), you can stop paying mortgage insurance, which costs you about $100 for every $100,000 borrowed, per month. And equally important, you need to consider what home maintenance needs done and start saving for it -- I wish I had paid for a home inspection every year and completed the tasks the inspector said needed to be done, as I really am not handy, and never noticed any issues until something broke.

If your housing expenses are more than 35% of your net income, inclusive of insurance, repairs, etc. but not including utilities, then you should reconsider the housing choice you made. I know this cannot be a detached, unemotional decision -- but step back. If you're at or above 50% of net income to housing costs, the situation is not sustainable. Downsizing on your own terms, rather than being forced to move, is a far less traumatic event for everyone in your home -- especially for you.

Okie dokie -- now, I am anxious to hear from anyone who has successfully liberated themselves from the cost of internet and tv service. I try this at least once a year and so far, I haven't been successful; I'm still on ATT's U-verse service at about $100/mo.

What an excellent and well needed thread. Thanks.

 

[Pinkie]

Well that one is real easy. "Oh really then I guess I will be banking elsewhere,...... today. Could please kindly close my account. Thank you. As my account is now closed I will no longer be liable for any charges on it due to your negligence. Pleasent day to you." Something of one way conversation but really, who needs to be two way about such foolishness? I just cant believe a bank would be so foolish. Wait. Never mind I just thought of Bank of America. I wonder how many accounts your old bank lost because of that?

My guess is, not many. Few people seem to know this, but if you signed up for electronic banking, your bank may choose to communicate with you via email on their site rather than via US mail -- no matter how important the notice is.

Try to make it a habit to read all your bank email (and, of course, snail mail) ASAP, and remember -- the longer, more boring, small font-sized the communication is, the more likely it is that notice contains a real stink bomb. If you truely can't understand it, call and get a human at the bank to explain it!

 

[PirateMk1]

I've seen prices rise, while my (retirement) income has remained stagnant and my health insurance went poof! At this stage of life, I feel very securely middle class, but it took some doin', and still does. So, what're my top money mgt tips?

* Don't make financial choices emotionally. If I could alter this one for all my friends and family, they'd all be wealthy inside a decade. Stop saying "I need it", "I earned it", "I couldn't bear not to have it" until you first decide whether you can afford it. If you cannot, it doesn't make a helluva lot of difference whether or nor you want it.

* Don't keep money secrets. Tell your kids, in an age-appropriate manner, what the family budget is. Engage them in helping to hold down costs ("if we trim the food budget this week, we might could go see a movie", e.g.). As your kids grow up, teach them about checking accounts, credit scores, insurance, car buying, etc by allowing them to shadow you making such choices.

* Pay yourself first. You absolutely need an emergency savings account equal to at least three months' expenses and I cannot stress this enough: if you have a regular paycheck but refuse to do this small savings exercise, then no matter how much you earn, you are choosing to live with a heinous amount of stress and worry about money.

Same idea: my generation, the Boomers, is the last to feel confident about Social Security and Medicare, and we ain't all that sanguine. You must save for retirement and you must treat retirement as a bigger priority than your child's college. Do not ever, ever, ever borrow against your retirement to pay current expenses.

* Review your expenses at least twice a year, and renegotiate/reconsider all of them. You may say you cannot renegotiate your mortgage, but you can: if you took out an FHA loan to buy and have been in your home long enough to enjoy a 10% rise in value (or decline in the principle balance), you can stop paying mortgage insurance, which costs you about $100 for every $100,000 borrowed, per month. And equally important, you need to consider what home maintenance needs done and start saving for it -- I wish I had paid for a home inspection every year and completed the tasks the inspector said needed to be done, as I really am not handy, and never noticed any issues until something broke.

If your housing expenses are more than 35% of your net income, inclusive of insurance, repairs, etc. but not including utilities, then you should reconsider the housing choice you made. I know this cannot be a detached, unemotional decision -- but step back. If you're at or above 50% of net income to housing costs, the situation is not sustainable. Downsizing on your own terms, rather than being forced to move, is a far less traumatic event for everyone in your home -- especially for you.

Okie dokie -- now, I am anxious to hear from anyone who has successfully liberated themselves from the cost of internet and tv service. I try this at least once a year and so far, I haven't been successful; I'm still on ATT's U-verse service at about $100/mo.

What U-verse package you have? What do you use your internet for? Your in Chicago right? Do you actually need the TV service? IE what are your watching habits. If you dont watch a lot of news or need the business channels then you may just cut the TV out and use HULU or NETFLIX or Redbox for movies. That should cut your bill in half. In chicago you got some great news radio stations if thats your thing which are free and you get your news fix. Or there is SirusXM for 12 bucks a month and you get CNN FOX BLOOMBERG ECT. Which much better rate wise then cable. If you just do internet you can with the Uverse service get the bill down to 48 or 53 and still have the speed neccerry to stream video to more than one computer. I use the Max because I need the speed for mutiple computers on at once I have six or more going at times. I cut my cable after they gave me good deal for a year and then they doubled the price so I cut everthing except internet and phone. Didnt need cable and havent missed it one bit.

 

[PirateMk1]

My guess is, not many. Few people seem to know this, but if you signed up for electronic banking, your bank may choose to communicate with you via email on their site rather than via US mail -- no matter how important the notice is.

Try to make it a habit to read all your bank email (and, of course, snail mail) ASAP, and remember -- the longer, more boring, small font-sized the communication is, the more likely it is that notice contains a real stink bomb. If you truely can't understand it, call and get a human at the bank to explain it!

That is the one reason I still kill trees and demand a paper statement and communication. I keep one account with CHASE even though quite frankly they aint a very good bank because I do occasionally travel still and I find having a national bank to be usefull in those circumstances. Otherwise most of my banking is with a local business bank or with a local credit union, each has their distict advantages.

 

[PirateMk1]

I think threatening to prosecute someone over bad debt violates the Federal Fair Credit & Protection Act. In my area, the prosecutors and Judges HATE people using them as a collection agency, but the law is the law. Usually what happens is you are arrested and on your Court date if you have not paid in full, the Judge will let you pay right then and there or make arrangements to pay within the week, and the charge is dropped. If you do not pay, then you are guilty, have to pay fines and restitution and all that stuff as part of your suspended sentence. Don't pay up in the allotted time once convicted and you go to jail for your suspended sentence or until whenever the restitution is paid whichever is sooner. If the stiffed party starts down the civil path they cannot switch to the criminal so they have to stay on that road once it starts.

Quite frankly there should not be a criminal road at all for debt. There isnt one out here in California, that I know of. Business that lend are making a business decision based on your current ability to pay and are incumbering themselves with the risk you may not because of future circumstance. Thats the way I and California sees it.

 

[Fisher]

Quite frankly there should not be a criminal road at all for debt. There isnt one out here in California, that I know of. Business that lend are making a business decision based on your current ability to pay and are incumbering themselves with the risk you may not because of future circumstance. Thats the way I and California sees it.

There isn't a criminal road for all debt. Bad checks and failing to return rental merchandise are considered similar to fraud/theft, but most other debt is strictly civil. Most places don't use the criminal route to collect bad checks, but the few gas stations who still take checks do a lot in my area do and the rental furniture places almost always will prosecute you if you do not return their stuff. I can see both sides of it.

 

[PirateMk1]

There is a lot of VERY good stuff on this thread I would highly suggest reading it all.

Health care can be a well for lack of a better term, bitch.

That said the best health care plan you can get for most, NOT all, is a high deductable plan wrapped in a Health Savings Account otherwise known as an HSA. It is usaully the cheapest catoshophic plan you can get more importantly will cover 100% of expences after a certain deductable 3100 for single 6200 for a familiy last I checked. You then save your deductable up in the account any medical expenses can come out of it and you can earn interest tax free. Heres the kicker after you have saved the detuctable up you can still add in tax free every year up to the contribution limit which is typically the deductable. As you can invest these funds similar to an IRA eventually you can make your health insurance premiums with the interest off the account. If you invest conservatively you can make around 7% and still keep your funds fairly liquid. Heres another kicker you can use the accumulated fund when you retire on a tax defered basis. Any qualifiying medical expense is tax free including dental and vision. It will take awhile to do this but once you are there you wont have to add but a minimum contribution and you will be WELL prepared for an eventual emergency.

If you are truly poor HSA's will be of no use to you and what Pinkie was decribing is your best best with a couple caveats. There cash only health care providers, they are relatively inexpensive I have paid for my bianual DOT physical $85 last year at my doctor. They provide generally I have found as good and most times much better service. They usually have more time to sit and discuss your conditions problems and or provide advise. There are many more today than used to be and a lot of them are started and run by doctors who want to actually be doctors without the stress. Which is why the care you find at them is above average generally. Use them for your general health care needs and minor nonemergency needs. If you have a MINOR emergency like broken limb, cut, or other that is NON life threating then an Urgent Care facilily is an atractive option as they are not NEARLY as expensive as an emergency room and you will probabley get as good or better care because those type injuries are what they specialize in. They are generally used by employers but you find your self just as welcome there. It would be a good idea to call around before an emergency of that nature and get price lists, policies, locations and directions, what they treat, ecetera. There are also clinics that will do reduced price examinations and diagnosis, and these are run by various charitable organizations and while they may not be free they can inexpensive. If you do volunteer work and are truly poor you might want to think about doing a quid pro quo with your local clinic so that way they get some manpower they will probaly need, for cheap, your rountine checkups and minor injuries. Something to think about.

This advise also applies to dentists and optometrists. Admitidly there are fewer cash only Dentists, they do howerver exist and it would be foolish not to at least look. Dont forget clinics as well. Eyeglases for cheap GreatEyeglasses.com - High Quality Prescription Eyeglasses . Need I say more about getting cheap eyewear? Dont get much cheaper. Walmart works for getting your prescription they are fairly inexpensive. If you use contacts they do contact presciprtions as well and have Contact Lenses at 1-800 CONTACTS | World's Largest Contact Lens Store® in store. Those guys are hard to beat for contacts.

When looking for a doctor or any medical proffesional for that matter, I look for practisioners who practice both traditional standard medicine and natural wholistic medicine. For whatever reason I have found that doctors who practice BOTH to be the most knowlegable and effective doctors. They have a tendincy I find to only use prescription drugs when you actually need them and use other natural remidies wherever possible. This means if you use them then your drug bill is going to be lower because they are generally only prescibe what you NEED. For instance I have a hereditary blood pressure problem, my doctor Dr.Bird has recommended that I eat a quarter cup of fresh or frozen blueberries every day if possible but most definately regularly within the week. He says he prefers that over blood pressure medication because while my pressure is high it is not so dangerous as I would need the medication. He also tells me to lose weight and I am too fat, and if I lost a bit I wouldnt need the blueberries. Thats another story. By the way the bueberries have reduced my blood pressure by about 15% and I changed anything else and I dont eat them everyday. Back to the subject at hand. A doctor that practices both seems in my opinion to be a better doctor. Something you might what to think on or research.

This concludes my contribution so far to this thread.

 

[Pinkie]

What U-verse package you have?

I have 300 -- if I didn't, I wouldn't get hardly any channels I want.

What do you use your internet for?

Email, photos, documents, posting here and there -- I rarely stream video.

Your in Chicago right? Do you actually need the TV service? IE what are your watching habits. If you dont watch a lot of news or need the business channels then you may just cut the TV out and use HULU or NETFLIX or Redbox for movies.

I'm in Cleveland, but yes, if I could watch movies on my tv, I'd be happy. I have free wifi, thanks to a grant my city councilman was able to get, but I am in a dead spot. I also could not get reception with rabbit ears. I gather a Roku will work, and I hope to get them (I have 2 tvs), but they are not cheap, and so far, I haven't done it. So I feel as if if I could get over the hump, I'd be fine.

Both my tvs are older, but work fine, and I am not replacing them.

That should cut your bill in half. In chicago you got some great news radio stations if thats your thing which are free and you get your news fix. Or there is SirusXM for 12 bucks a month and you get CNN FOX BLOOMBERG ECT. Which much better rate wise then cable. If you just do internet you can with the Uverse service get the bill down to 48 or 53 and still have the speed neccerry to stream video to more than one computer. I use the Max because I need the speed for mutiple computers on at once I have six or more going at times. I cut my cable after they gave me good deal for a year and then they doubled the price so I cut everthing except internet and phone. Didnt need cable and havent missed it one bit.

I don't think I'd watch tv news no matter what -- I read a few newspapers and that satisfies my itch. I would have been satisfied with free tv, if I could've gotten the rabbit ears to work -- but I tried two different models, no joy.

 

[Pinkie]

There is a lot of VERY good stuff on this thread I would highly suggest reading it all.

Health care can be a well for lack of a better term, bitch.

That said the best health care plan you can get for most, NOT all, is a high deductable plan wrapped in a Health Savings Account otherwise known as an HSA. It is usaully the cheapest catoshophic plan you can get more importantly will cover 100% of expences after a certain deductable 3100 for single 6200 for a familiy last I checked. You then save your deductable up in the account any medical expenses can come out of it and you can earn interest tax free. Heres the kicker after you have saved the detuctable up you can still add in tax free every year up to the contribution limit which is typically the deductable. As you can invest these funds similar to an IRA eventually you can make your health insurance premiums with the interest off the account. If you invest conservatively you can make around 7% and still keep your funds fairly liquid. Heres another kicker you can use the accumulated fund when you retire on a tax defered basis. Any qualifiying medical expense is tax free including dental and vision. It will take awhile to do this but once you are there you wont have to add but a minimum contribution and you will be WELL prepared for an eventual emergency.

If you are truly poor HSA's will be of no use to you and what Pinkie was decribing is your best best with a couple caveats. There cash only health care providers, they are relatively inexpensive I have paid for my bianual DOT physical $85 last year at my doctor. They provide generally I have found as good and most times much better service. They usually have more time to sit and discuss your conditions problems and or provide advise. There are many more today than used to be and a lot of them are started and run by doctors who want to actually be doctors without the stress. Which is why the care you find at them is above average generally. Use them for your general health care needs and minor nonemergency needs. If you have a MINOR emergency like broken limb, cut, or other that is NON life threating then an Urgent Care facilily is an atractive option as they are not NEARLY as expensive as an emergency room and you will probabley get as good or better care because those type injuries are what they specialize in. They are generally used by employers but you find your self just as welcome there. It would be a good idea to call around before an emergency of that nature and get price lists, policies, locations and directions, what they treat, ecetera. There are also clinics that will do reduced price examinations and diagnosis, and these are run by various charitable organizations and while they may not be free they can inexpensive. If you do volunteer work and are truly poor you might want to think about doing a quid pro quo with your local clinic so that way they get some manpower they will probaly need, for cheap, your rountine checkups and minor injuries. Something to think about.

This advise also applies to dentists and optometrists. Admitidly there are fewer cash only Dentists, they do howerver exist and it would be foolish not to at least look. Dont forget clinics as well. Eyeglases for cheap GreatEyeglasses.com - High Quality Prescription Eyeglasses . Need I say more about getting cheap eyewear? Dont get much cheaper. Walmart works for getting your prescription they are fairly inexpensive. If you use contacts they do contact presciprtions as well and have Contact Lenses at 1-800 CONTACTS | World's Largest Contact Lens Store® in store. Those guys are hard to beat for contacts.

When looking for a doctor or any medical proffesional for that matter, I look for practisioners who practice both traditional standard medicine and natural wholistic medicine. For whatever reason I have found that doctors who practice BOTH to be the most knowlegable and effective doctors. They have a tendincy I find to only use prescription drugs when you actually need them and use other natural remidies wherever possible. This means if you use them then your drug bill is going to be lower because they are generally only prescibe what you NEED. For instance I have a hereditary blood pressure problem, my doctor Dr.Bird has recommended that I eat a quarter cup of fresh or frozen blueberries every day if possible but most definately regularly within the week. He says he prefers that over blood pressure medication because while my pressure is high it is not so dangerous as I would need the medication. He also tells me to lose weight and I am too fat, and if I lost a bit I wouldnt need the blueberries. Thats another story. By the way the bueberries have reduced my blood pressure by about 15% and I changed anything else and I dont eat them everyday. Back to the subject at hand. A doctor that practices both seems in my opinion to be a better doctor. Something you might what to think on or research.

This concludes my contribution so far to this thread.

I agree -- to a point. I'm no fan of "alternative medicine" and strongly urge you to walk, not run, from any healer who offers acupuncture, etc., but that's another thread.

If you need a drug, your doctor may have a sample you can use (at least at first), and most drugs are available from the manufacturer as part of a relief program (meant to insulate them from public outrage). You might get help from a society for the disease (cancer, diabetes, heart, etc.), and at the very least, they might be able to steer you to additional resources. And make friends with your pharmacist; if a low cost alternative exists, that person should be able to recommend it.

If you live near a teaching or research hospital, you may be able to get drugs by signing up for a human trial, but there are downsides to this. You'll be given an untested, unapproved drug. You may be given a placebo. You'll be denied that drug when the trial ends. All in all, this is only useful if all else fails.

Thanks for the links you gave, Pirate. That's gonna help so many people!

 

[Pinkie]

The federal government has a gateway for all its benefits programs:

Benefits.gov - Your Path to Government Benefits

Disaster-related federal benefits may be found here:

DisasterAssistance.gov - Home

Note: whether you are eligible for disaster relief can be convoluted, so if you suffered a loss (such as, fewer days at work because your employer has lost a plant in NJ, etc.), it might be worthwhile to look.

Lastly, state and local benefits are harder to find, depending on where you live. These websites might help get you started:

State Government | USA.gov

Local Governments | USA.gov

Apart from benefits, the various levels of government also provide grants, support loans, etc. Don't forget to look for these, as well.

 

[PirateMk1]

I have 300 -- if I didn't, I wouldn't get hardly any channels I want.



Email, photos, documents, posting here and there -- I rarely stream video.



I'm in Cleveland, but yes, if I could watch movies on my tv, I'd be happy. I have free wifi, thanks to a grant my city councilman was able to get, but I am in a dead spot. I also could not get reception with rabbit ears. I gather a Roku will work, and I hope to get them (I have 2 tvs), but they are not cheap, and so far, I haven't done it. So I feel as if if I could get over the hump, I'd be fine.

Both my tvs are older, but work fine, and I am not replacing them.



I don't think I'd watch tv news no matter what -- I read a few newspapers and that satisfies my itch. I would have been satisfied with free tv, if I could've gotten the rabbit ears to work -- but I tried two different models, no joy.

Get a DVD player from Sony or Samsung or other that is internet connected, the key is Internet Connected. They are probably in the same price range as as Roku box. Thing is since you have Uverse you should get some good internet speeds. By bumping up the speed (minimum speed should be 12mbits to be safe Netflix recomends 5mbits for HD streaming) you pay for and killing the TV altogether you save money that way, and you can watch whatever programs you watch at your time. Before I kicked the TV service to the curb I would check HULU NETFLIX and a couple others to make sure they carry what you watch. Side note doing that way I have found that I watch less TV and I am more selective of what I watch instead of just flipping though channels. Thats just me though. Just make sure what ever service you decide on has the programs you want. Netflix and Hulu both have free to try offers. Might behoove you check them out before you drop the TV service if you do decide that route.

Another side note You cant get over the air TV without the TV having a digital decoder now. They have to be built in or you need a seprate box if you have an older tv. You should be able to pick those up cheap. I would check to make sure your local stations are still broadcasting over the air before getting the decoder. The rabbit ears were for analog, everthing switched to digital in 2010 I think.

I had the Uverse 450 everything package with the maximum speed internet and phone for 186 dollors a month for a year. ATT after that year wanted to charge after I had haggled with them 256. I like TV I like having my football package. Just 256 dollors a month worth. My bill right now with phone and max internet is about a 100 bucks. Its a hell of a lot better than 256.

 

[Pinkie]

Get a DVD player from Sony or Samsung or other that is internet connected, the key is Internet Connected. They are probably in the same price range as as Roku box. Thing is since you have Uverse you should get some good internet speeds. By bumping up the speed (minimum speed should be 12mbits to be safe Netflix recomends 5mbits for HD streaming) you pay for and killing the TV altogether you save money that way, and you can watch whatever programs you watch at your time. Before I kicked the TV service to the curb I would check HULU NETFLIX and a couple others to make sure they carry what you watch. Side note doing that way I have found that I watch less TV and I am more selective of what I watch instead of just flipping though channels. Thats just me though. Just make sure what ever service you decide on has the programs you want. Netflix and Hulu both have free to try offers. Might behoove you check them out before you drop the TV service if you do decide that route.

Another side note You cant get over the air TV without the TV having a digital decoder now. They have to be built in or you need a seprate box if you have an older tv. You should be able to pick those up cheap. I would check to make sure your local stations are still broadcasting over the air before getting the decoder. The rabbit ears were for analog, everthing switched to digital in 2010 I think.

I had the Uverse 450 everything package with the maximum speed internet and phone for 186 dollors a month for a year. ATT after that year wanted to charge after I had haggled with them 256. I like TV I like having my football package. Just 256 dollors a month worth. My bill right now with phone and max internet is about a 100 bucks. Its a hell of a lot better than 256.

Pirate, IYO is it ever worthwhile to buy a DVD player or Roku box that is used?

 

[PirateMk1]

I agree -- to a point. I'm no fan of "alternative medicine" and strongly urge you to walk, not run, from any healer who offers acupuncture, etc., but that's another thread.

If you need a drug, your doctor may have a sample you can use (at least at first), and most drugs are available from the manufacturer as part of a relief program (meant to insulate them from public outrage). You might get help from a society for the disease (cancer, diabetes, heart, etc.), and at the very least, they might be able to steer you to additional resources. And make friends with your pharmacist; if a low cost alternative exists, that person should be able to recommend it.

If you live near a teaching or research hospital, you may be able to get drugs by signing up for a human trial, but there are downsides to this. You'll be given an untested, unapproved drug. You may be given a placebo. You'll be denied that drug when the trial ends. All in all, this is only useful if all else fails.

Thanks for the links you gave, Pirate. That's gonna help so many people!

I agree with you on the doctors thats why I say pick one who practices BOTH types of medicine, for whatever reason they seem to be more knowlegeble in general than a practitioner who does one or the other. Alternative medicine gets a bad rap because there are a lot of snake oil salesmen out there. That said a good doctor will utilize ALL of the good soarces of knowledge to help heal you. A lot of the wholelistic methods have scientific research backing their use they are not popular because a lot of doctors dont study in both worlds. Which is a shame because quite frankly my doc has me convinced that both methods can be quite synergistic. It seems to work for me. I hate taking pills so if my doc has got a way to avoid them thats how I go unless he thinks I absolutely need them.

I forgot about the samples thats a good one. I also forgot about the relief programs thats good too.

I dont know about being a guinae pig unless I am on my last legs though. I think I will avoid getting to that point if at all possible.

 

[Pinkie]

I agree with you on the doctors thats why I say pick one who practices BOTH types of medicine, for whatever reason they seem to be more knowlegeble in general than a practitioner who does one or the other. Alternative medicine gets a bad rap because there are a lot of snake oil salesmen out there. That said a good doctor will utilize ALL of the good soarces of knowledge to help heal you. A lot of the wholelistic methods have scientific research backing their use they are not popular because a lot of doctors dont study in both worlds. Which is a shame because quite frankly my doc has me convinced that both methods can be quite synergistic. It seems to work for me. I hate taking pills so if my doc has got a way to avoid them thats how I go unless he thinks I absolutely need them.

I forgot about the samples thats a good one. I also forgot about the relief programs thats good too.

I dont know about being a guinae pig unless I am on my last legs though. I think I will avoid getting to that point if at all possible.

Drug trials could be a lifesaver to someone with AIDS or diabetes, etc. What bothers me the most are the ones run on kids, offering cash incentives and allegedly treating psychiatric illnesses. Depression is especially popular here in Cleveland, but I say if your 14 year old isn't moody, that kid's not normal.

Tagging a kid with a psych diagnosis can be life-altering. Nobody should even consider doing this just to get a few bucks -- sell your blood for money, if you need cash that badly.

(Blood is not the only biological product you can sell, but this is a much more complex subject than this thread's scope.)

 

[PirateMk1]

Pirate, IYO is it ever worthwhile to buy a DVD player or Roku box that is used?

Well I would expect it to be dirt cheap, like 20 bucks or so if that. A. B. Make sure it works. C. If it works make sure it does what you need it to do. In your case you want it to be able to use Netflix and Hulu and Pandora and all of those type services off the internet. Electroncs devalue VERY fast. Before I buy used I would check out the referbished version from Newegg, Tigerdirect, or Fry's., unless they are practicaly giving it to you. Newegg has a refurbished BluRay from samsung for 68 bucks plus 6.98 shipping Newegg.com - Refurbished: Samsung BD-D6100 3D WiFi Built-in Blu-Ray Player, so if you get used it has got to be very cheap. I would look but unless its a really screaming deal and everything works I dont know if I would buy.

I just thought of this make sure the connectors on the player can be connected to your TV. IE cable or RGB or HDMI type what ever they be make sure they match up or you can get an adaptor cheap otherwise you will have a useless brick.

 

[Pinkie]

Well I would expect it to be dirt cheap, like 20 bucks or so if that. A. B. Make sure it works. C. If it works make sure it does what you need it to do. In your case you want it to be able to use Netflix and Hulu and Pandora and all of those type services off the internet. Electroncs devalue VERY fast. Before I buy used I would check out the referbished version from Newegg, Tigerdirect, or Fry's., unless they are practicaly giving it to you. Newegg has a refurbished BluRay from samsung for 68 bucks plus 6.98 shipping Newegg.com - Refurbished: Samsung BD-D6100 3D WiFi Built-in Blu-Ray Player, so if you get used it has got to be very cheap. I would look but unless its a really screaming deal and everything works I dont know if I would buy.

I've heard good things about Tiger Direct, though I've never bought from them. Thanks for the advice!