I swear, the roaches in my apartment are immune to borax and boric acid- I've sugar-coated them and watched them walk around for HOURS without issues. So much for THAT method. And I've put tons of those roach bait traps around, and I've never seen a roach go near one. Ever. Fail on that one. I have cats, and I've had cats die before after pest control sprayed for bugs, so I'm a little leery of going the liquid chemical route. Our landlord refuses to hire someone to do it anyways.

I don't have a job, so I've got nothing to do but clean and blog. Guess what I do a lot of. Yep- cleaning. I'd say the place is not the most habitable to roaches. However, they're living in the walls and I suspect festering in the neighbours' apartment, coming in through the hole in the shared wall by the oven. They're everywhere, and I was FED UP.

Then I discovered something. I was taking a break from laundry and poured myself some deliciously cold champagne. Drank almost all of it, left a little in the bottom of the mug (no, I'm not going to bother with proper champagne glasses mid-day. Mugs I can put in the dishwasher!) Forgot about it and left it on the counter while cleaning the bedroom. Came back hours later. Check glass. Dead roaches floating in it. A lot of them.

AHA!

Sugary liquids draw them like mad- crappy $5 Arbor Mist strawberry wine has more than enough sugars to draw them. And because of the alcohol content, they drown and die off! w00t! All you need is a 25 cent thrift store mug and a bottle of Arbor Mist, or something similarly sweet and cheap. I recommend getting a small cup different from any other you own strictly for this purpose, and make sure it's small so that smaller roaches have no trouble climbing it and finding the alcohol. I used a small teacup and about 1/8c of sweet wine each time. I let it sit out for a day or two before rinsing it out and pouring a new glass. So far, I think I've killed about 30 roaches today, not counting the ones I killed without the alcohol.

Alcohol FTW.

This article popped up through a government small business mailing list I'm on.

Thought it might be helpful for students to have an idea of what they should expect from an unpaid internship:
http://community2.business.gov/t5/Business-Law-Advisor/The-Truth-Behind-Unpaid-Internships/ba-p/9340#A270?cm_mmc=GovDelivery-_-111209-_-weekly-_-community

Or a paid internship:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/fts_wh205.htm

Knowing the law behind something can help you spot whether or not it's hinky. Internships are a really great way to gain some experience and get your foot in the door...particularly in certain industries. You just want to make sure that you're not being abused in the process.

The first 30 people to comment with their e-mail addresses will get a code for 30% off their entire purchase. I am about to head into work so you won't get it until late tonight. Starts tomorrow and runs through the 15 i believe. Online is good for one time use only.

EDIT:Just so everyone knows.. the non-profit which I picked for the 5% to be donated back to is Teach for America like I did this summer. Also, this started on Thursday, but the post was not approved until last night? You still have through Sunday.

Right now i'm eating curry rice, with a hot dog chopped up in it. :( I'm moving soon and I refuse to go grocery shopping until I eat all the food I have, so nothing goes to waste.


I was just wondering what strange food combinations you guys have eaten when you were low on money and only eating things that were already in your pantry!

This is a matter of life and death, and I wish I was kidding.

My mom has a very large tumor in her chest, and we can't do anything about it. It's bad enough that she's in the hospital through the ER every 2 to 4 weeks, and they said it needs to be taken out. Her last ER/hosp trip they found out the tumor has a tumor growing on it now. It's not cancerous, so if they can get it out, she'll have a recovery period the doctors estimate for 6 weeks, and then she'll be okay. Left alone, it's expected to kill her within months. We've been dealing with this for a year, with the first tumor diagnosed in March. The county where she lives has a very small, inadequate hospital that doesn't have the equipment or any doctors with the skills to remove this particular tumor. The hospital that's nearest that can is in another county. She can't get in the doors of that other hospital without insurance or Medi-Cal. She tried once by ambulance, and was transferred back to the small hospital 100 miles away after being stabilized.

The doctors had her apply for disability since she can't work, and she was denied. An attorney took it on on contingency, but today she got a decision on the court appeal and the court denied it. So she gets nothing. The social security office says she's well enough to be working full time, and the judge sided with them even her doctors, the ones who are professional, and her medical history since last summer show she can't. How can someone work when about a third of her time is spent hospitalized with the doctors struggling to stabilize her so she doesn't die and can live another week?

What she has now is a county coverage that only covers doctors in her county. No where else. The doctors she's seeing have tried getting her in the doors at the larger hospital, but can't.

She's under 65, not considered disabled even though she really is, isn't pregnant, or anything else, so she doesn't qualify for Medi-Cal or Medicare. She also has been turned down for private insurance. If she was accepted anyway, we don't know how the premium would have been paid since I'm not floating with extra dollars either, but I'd find a way. But she was denied anyway so it doesn't matter. I've applied for her for every medical insurance company in the northern California region.

She lives in Merced County right now, and the hospital she needs to be in is in San Mateo County, if this makes a difference at all. She worked until she not too sick last summer, a nurse for 25 years who now can't get medical help and will die, the doctors are surprised she hasn't died yet but she's close. It's really dire. She's wasting away from her organs shutting down from these tumors. On a "good" day, her weight goes up to 95 pounds, which is too little for 5'5".

What are some options for us/her, or do we have to accept she's just going to have to die?


Some suggestions made we'll try
Contacting congressmen
Trying the media, already submitted to Good Morning America on someone's suggestion
Trying Fresno's Community Memorial, and I now have some calls in waiting to hear back

I've given more information that I feel comfortable with, like my mom's location and occupation, and the hospital that can treat her and won't, hospitals she's been to, and why her disability claims were denied, even though it makes no sense how the court thinks she can work when her doctors say she can't. I know this is a new journal. I found this place by a google search for poor people and medical help. We exhausted every option we could think of on our own and from suggestions of people we know, and brick wall after brick wall is why I decided to ask publicly and online in case anyone had ideas no one we know thought of.

No one questions the cases in the media when a cancer patient is dying and can't get medical care no matter how hard they try, but I've been called a liar in the comments because my mom's sotry is just as dire. I don't care if anyone thinks that. If I can get a suggestion that works and saved her life, then what does it really matter is a few strangers think I'm lying? It's desperation that's even made me come online to ask for ideas. I wish this was all something made up. No one should die because they don't have money. But cancer patients die from not having any, and who says they're lying? People die all the time from not being able to get medical care. Getting aid requires more than being poor and having no assets. If that's all it took, don't you think every poor adult out there would have government coverage? Wouldn't you all have coverage if you only had to be poor and own very little?

My mom has no money or assets, and I'm living at the povery level, and we both eat from food kitchens and pantries. I send all money I can to help her. That's what being poor is. It's not having enough or a lot. if we had the money to pay for this, we wouldn't be poor. So just give suggestions. That's all I'm asking for, and they're free to give.

I really have tried looking, so I thought I'd seek input.

I'm finally moving in with my husband, after being forced to shell out 950 dollars a month in room and board on campus for the time up until our marriage. The agreement with him is that I pay for and prepare all foods, something he's not exactly the greatest at (and has been living on fast food). As we all know here, fast food is very expensive, especially when the costs start to add up.

Since neither of us will be at home at one set time for lunch, packing seems like the best option. We both will have access to microwave and refrigerating facilities.

So, what makes a good, cheap, packed lunch for someone older than 10? And please don't suggest lunch meat sandwiches unless you have a tip on making them cheaper, lunch meat is actually surprisingly expensive compared to the costs of most any kind of meat, and it's a pretty obvious option anyway.

So, share with us your recipes, any interesting links, any ideas, any suggestions, anything related to the process of lunch packing! Heck, I'll even take suggestions for things that reheat well.

My budget is pretty tight, but I really want to be able to save money. 

I can spare a little each paycheck to put into a savings account, but being that I most likely would be starting it with a different bank than my own(to prevent me from being able to transfer easily), I know a lot of banks have minimums for that.

Anyone know of a good bank I can use to build up a savings account that doesn't require a minimum? Also, is it even a good idea to start an account like that in this economy?

Eligibility:
Kmart customers who present state-issued identification (driver’s license or identification card) and a state-issued unemployment benefits enrollment confirmation are eligible to participate in the program (“Eligible Participants”). At checkout, cardholders will be required to show their valid discount card, their state-issued identification card for signature verification and their state-issued unemployment benefits enrollment verification. Valid signature verification is required to use the card.

This PDF explains what product lines are eligible and other details. They are only issuing cards for two more months, but the cards last for 6 months after you get them. Cards issued in December are good until 6/30, and cards issued in January are good until 7/31.

I don't do much shopping at Kmart, but I get a lot of the Great Value stuff at Walmart, and can tell you that most store brands are as good or nearly as good as the name brands. 20% off STORE brand can save you A TON off the name brands.

Signup at Kmart Smart Assist.

This isn't really a poor skill but I think it will help those who live day to day with double digits or single digits in bank accounts and are always so close to $0 that accidental overdrafts just happen sometimes.

It happens to even the best of us. You forget to put something in the ledger, and next thing you know, that gallon of milk you paid $3 for with your debit card is over $30 with overdraft fees, eating away half your food budget for the week, or maybe all of it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/ap_on_bi_ge/us_fed_overdraft_fees

Now the new rule, which takes effect July 1, banks will be required to have customers opt in for overdraft protection on debit transactions. Electronic payments and checks, which are used most for big bills like rent, can still go through and get an overdraft without opting in, but for regular debit transactions, they'll just be declined unless you opt in.

So there will be some relief for us starting next summer.

November 12th through 15th -- that's today (Thursday) through Sunday -- you can save 30% at Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic in-store.

5% of your purchase goes to DonorsChoose, a charity where teachers submit classroom projects for funding.

Print the coupon here: http://www.gapinc.com/giveandget/donorschoose/

Get yourself some sweaters and help some students!

Due to suddenly extremely straitened financial circumstances, my family is looking toward Angel Food Minitries for help, based on so many of your excellent recommendations here! However, with two adults working long hours and no car, I somehow can't envision myself maneuvering pounds and pounds of food all the way across the borough(s) (there's only one distribution site in Manhattan, where I live) after dark, when I'm off work. How does this "online ordering" thing work? Will they deliver, or is it just a more stream-lined way to pick it up yourself? Of course, this is all a moot point because I can't find anywhere even remotely local that even allows for "online ordering"...

I'm sure I sound like a spoiled Manhattanite, but it's been a horrible, stressful week of finding out that we have much, much less disposable income than I have been led to believe for the last two years. So please, please be kind. Thank you so so much for any advice you can offer - I really appreciate it :)

I know this type of thing has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything offhand...if I overlooked something, maybe somebody could point me to a link.

I am wanting to possibly make little bath sets for people for Christmas. I don't really have a lot of spare money this year, and I'd like to do something creative that doesn't require a lot of money going into it. I was thinking of doing like little baskets with soaps, bath salts, bath oils, etc. so forth. I looked around online for kits that would come with the molds and glycerin and oils and everything...but I can't find any kits that make more than 6 of anything. I am thinking maybe it would be cheaper to buy things separately, but not having done this before, I'm really unsure. There is a Joann Fabrics craft store in my area that would probably have some of the things I need, but I figure it'll be relatively expensive. Is there a place online that is reasonably priced? And does anyone have enough experience with this type of thing to recommend to me what I should or should not get? Thanks in advance!

"I realized just how effective the demonization of welfare has been when I was actually shocked to hear kids, in a show targeted at other kids, being led in a chant that said being poor or on welfare shouldn’t be shameful and did not reduce their worth as human beings. Can you imagine a TV show, even on PBS, putting something like this on the air today? Our public discourse at this point says that being on welfare is shameful, and that those receiving it in fact aren’t “somebody.” They are dependents, lazy loafers, and their kids are just additional burdens on the state; they don’t have the same rights to dignity and respect as other citizens, and they certainly shouldn’t expect to get it."

[Source]

This picked up my mood considerably today. And while it's not specifically advice or a suggestion of some kind, maybe it'll pick up someone's mood too?


------------------------------------------------
// edit: Throughout the course of the night I have been touched by so many of these stories and replies that I just wanted to say thank you. Just imagine.... For someone to reply, I think, there's someone else out there that isn't replying but might have been touched by this video, what you said, or what you're going through. And I think that's powerful. I also think it's evident that this is message has uplifted and made some of you stronger today so for those of you who would like, I have converted the youtube video to an MP3 so you can download it and listen to it when you need it.

Just hold on everyone, it'll get easier. We're not in this alone. (hug)

I've had a toothache since Sunday night; have been treating with lots of rinses of Listerine, salt water, hydrogent peroxide, and tea tree oil in an attempt to mitigate it until I can see a low-cost local dentist.

In the last hour, I've developed a serious pocket of swelling over where my upper wisdom tooth and the one next to it used to be. It's so swollen I can't comfortably put my teeth together. I've fot some kind of serious abscess under the gum there.

In the last HOUR.

I am going tomorrow to my dad's dentist; this is clearly an emergency.

Any other suggestions on what I can do until tomorrow? Anyone do the sticking a teabag in your mouth thing as a home remedy for relief? Please? Thanks!!!

Important note: Clove oil is said to be highly efficacious, but as it is the one substance on earth I know I am highly allergic to, anything involving cloves is...right out. Sadly.

Edit, or postscript, rather: this was in the queue overnight; since it was posted but not yet up, I did in fact go to the dentist, and have some lovely turbocharged antibiotics which, should you be wondering, cost something like 4 bucks. Wonderfully, the problem came from the remaining roots of a long-gone tooth, and were not caused by the tooth next to it (I was sure I needed a root canal; he says the tooth looks hunkydory in x-ray.) None of this will be overly expensive, and he will work with me on that. Once the infection has calmed, he will extract the remnant roots, and all will be well. I thank all of y'all for your great comments; not sure if I should andwer them individually. But: given the severity of possible consequences of this (as the comments show), I hope this post helps others in the future.

If any of you guys are a veteran or know a veteran, tomorrow veterans eat free at Applebees.

This would be a nice gesture to take one of your loved ones to dinner in celebration for their service. :)

http://www.applebees.com/vetsday/

Does anyone have any experience using Upromise? The only reservations I'm seeing from people online is a "big brother" complaint because they have access to your credit and debit card statements, but that doesn't worry me so much as long as the company is reputable (and they're owned by Sallie Mae, so... yikes). The other complaint I'm reading is that you don't make the kind of money that would put someone through college - more like $50 here or there - but I figure it's a poor skill to take whatever you can get, right? What do you guys think?

Hello!

I have some coupons that I have no use for and would like to trade for other coupons/giftcards of roughly the same value. These are valid in Canada.

1. up to 50% off complete pair eyeglasses & prescription sun at Lens Crafters (valid now through December 12, 2009) - I am willing to mail it priority so that you receive it quickly
2. 3$ off stuffed Butterball turkey (exp. December 31, 2009)
3. 10$ off Wii Fit (exp. February 28, 2010)
4. 2$ off Pure Energy ValueCharger battery charger (exp. March 31, 2010)

( My coupon wishlist )

Thank you!

Guys, be smart. Don't fall for this one.

The other day, I was at Walgreens. At their front end, they have displays of items like candy, soda, and prophylactics. One of the items was generic skin softener- "made with real olive oil!" the label announced. It was $5 for a 6oz bottle. Curious, I looked at the ingredients:

100% pure olive oil.

Yeah. Or you could just buy some olive oil in those big jugs for about $8 and use some on your skin- provided you don't start with mildly dry, normally oily skin. A better idea is a wash with rice bran and oatmeal in that case. But if you usually have very dry skin, olive oil has been used in the Middle East for that purpose for centuries. If you're looking for something lighter, go with jojoba or almond oil. Grapeseed oil works as well, and if you put about 1 drop essential oils to 10 drops base oil, it can smell really good too! Just make sure the essential oil is safe to use on the skin. Not all of them are!

Howdy, poor_skillers:

Saw this  article yesterday and thought of you all...

Happy bargain-hunting and ripoff-dodging!

Does anyone know in which state unsecured debt claims are filed? Is it the state the debt was originally taken, or the state the debtor currently lives and works?

If this is unclear, let me put it in more specific terms. A student takes out a private student loan in say, Delaware, then moves to Michigan permanently. If the loan goes into default and the lender wants to take the student to court, in which state will the judgment be entered?

I have acquired $100 as a result of winning a contest at work. I plan to spend it on clothes for winter and some basics(underwear, bras, etc), but $100 doesn't go far these days with clothes.

Ideas? Already planning a trip to the thrift store, so ideas for new clothing?

Heads up, Savers/Value Village has 50% off all clothing this Wednesday for Veteran's Day.

Hello there. My first time posting to this community and I'm hoping all you knowledgeable people could help me.

My friend had her car repossessed at work today. She had fallen behind on payments after breaking up with her fiancée almost two years ago. She was left to pay everything and, not having enough to pay for all the bills, she chose to cut back on the car. So over the last two years, it's been late payments, half payments, and no payments at all. She's been talking with the people after her car for a while. She hasn't been ignoring them or anything. She's been really trying to work it out with them, but I guess they had enough.

She called them after the car was taken and was told she needed to pay $3100 to get it back, title included. She was also told that the car was worth $3700 so it would go to auction it if she can't pay. I believe that she owed a little over $4000 before they took it, so I'm not sure if she would be responsible for the difference. I keep reading that she could be, but I'm not sure if that might vary from state to state. She lives in Washington state but got this car in Nevada (not sure if that helps).

She's currently pregnant with her first child. She's a high risk pregnancy because she's so small, so she's not allowed to work a certain number of hours per day/week.

I don't know anything about dealing with repo, so I don't know what other information would help. I'm hoping there might be some secret state or federal law to help her out, because it seems like a lot of bad things are happening all at once to her.

I'm not entirely sure this is the best community, but i've seen similar things posted here, and I really have no idea where to turn.

So I had a crazy situation about a year ago that caused me to fall behind on my credit cards. Most of them were gracious enough to let me make up payment plans and such. I had a $2000 Capitol One card that was not. I sent them what I could each month and constantly called for payment plans but we never reached an agreement. It charged off a few months ago. I'm on very very thin ice with my finances still, completely paycheck to paycheck, but I can afford to pay something. I got a letter from a law office stating they were taking me to court for $2200 plus a few more potential fees. I googled the company and half of the entries said this company was a scam. Half said it was a legal debt collector who had garnished their checking account. I really need to prevent the latter from happening as it will send my finances spiraling down a hole and I'll be thrown off all the other credit card payment plans when all my money gets sucked away.

Any ideas where to start or go from here? Do I contact the company and offer a payment plan? I don't want to "throw away" money if they are a scam. How do I tell the difference between a valid law office and a lying collection agency?

Xposted...sorry

First, we're renting. Since we don't own this place so I can't do major renovations or anything.

There are these...vents around the trailer. There are 4 of them total. Each of are dug out and has a metal boarder around it and they each have a board standing up in them. (see pics)

1) What are they for?

2) It's COLD!! Can I put a piece of insulation down there to keep cold air from coming up under the house or is that going to cause a problem with ventilation?

So I need to live on a max of AU$30-50 a week on food for the next few months (this includes snacks and all!).
Unfortunately I'm quite picky when it comes to food. Mostly the fact that I HATE leftovers or reheating food (I have this weird phobia about it). I don't mind freezing/defrosting meat though.

So far I've been living on cereal, pasta, 2-minute noodles, salads and sandwiches.

But does anyone have any more recipes for 1 that's a bit more exciting?

I am requesting a toaster oven from my son for my birthday but I want one which will last a while. I also don't want him to spend too much money on it.
So I need some recommendations from any of you who have toaster ovens on the best one to get that hopefully doesn't cost over $50.
I've looked online for a few but well I am still not sure.
I think I want a large one but I guess I will settle for a smaller one.
I really wouldn't use it for toast but more for cooking things like breaded shrimp or pizza. Mostly cooking frozen stuff or reheating leftovers. But it might be nice to broil a small steak or something now and then.
Thanks for your recommendations. Oh - I would also like to know what store you bought yours from. Thanks- BB

Okay, so, first of all I live in BC, Canada. I'm not really sure how to go about this, but I don't know what to do right now and I'm really worried about how the next month is going to go.

I turned 18 in February, applied for college, got accepted, and moved away to be on my own during the summer. I applied for student loans and I was approved for $7000 this semester. I thought this was pretty cool, and most likely enough to live on after I paid my tuition (Which was only $3800 this semester). On top of that, my boyfriend was moving in with me and planning on getting a job to help support me while I attend school.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances, $2000 of my left-over 'living' student loan money was stolen/loaned, and the person only paid back $1000, claiming that was all they took. This person is a family member - really the only family member I have, and they're currently paying for my hydro and internet until I can afford it - so I can't bring myself to do anything about it, or even fight with them over how much they took. The worst part is what they spent it on, but I don't want to divulge that. On top of that my boyfriend, who is currently 20, left his job of his own accord with the intention of moving with me, so he doesn't qualify for Unemployment Insurance. We've been checking all the websites, gone out on numerous occasions to every store that would take a resume handing them out, and emailed quite a few possible employers, but so far we haven't heard back. His resume shouldn't be the problem, since it was done professionally, but we've still tried editing it now and then to get it to sound even better. Still, he can't seem to get a job, and we've been looking for two months (since he moved here).

The problem with this is I've had to pay all the rent ($600 a month) and I'm out of student loans. We're currently $5.00 in the red, and the only reason we have food is because my college has special bursaries set aside for people in financial crisis, so they've given me Superstore gift cards so we can buy food. Unfortunately this doesn't help with my biggest problem right now, and that's December rent.

So, my biggest question right now is... What can we do? I've been so stressed about this that I haven't been able to concentrate on my work (art school, it's kind of hard for me to paint when I'm this stressed) and I'm starting to fail my classes, which would make this entire endeavor a complete failure. What are our options? I'm going to see a school councilor Monday about some options, but I want to know if anyone here knows anything that could help.

Sorry about all this, I didn't know where or who to ask...

I live in Maryland (so if anyone knows specific laws, that'd be rad too!). For clarification person without details we will call Neighbor A & B the married neighbors and neighbor C the sweet neighbor.

A & B Live next door to me (we have townhomes). A&B got into a fight. They have 4 children. A is drunk as hell (like always) and pulls out his gun and points it at his wife. B grabs her kids and runs to Neighbor C's house. She's not in shock. She's calm and collective - but she says she needs help, and so C of course helps. A (in his drunken stage) pounds and threatens to bust in neighbor C's door if they don't let him in. Neighbor C calls the cops because A claims he is going to shoot them with his gun. The 911 dispatcher asks B(The wife) if her husband (A) has a gun - and she says not a handgun, but yes a shotgun.

45 minutes later we hear a gunshot. REALLY FREAKING CLOSE. Then another... by the end there are 4 gunshots. A&B live right next door to us...2 of the shots were IN THERE HOUSE and the other 2 were on our street because A went psycho in his drunken stage and shot neighbor C's car in. The cops came - helicopters came. It was a freaking madhouse.

Regardless - Because no one actually SAW Neighbor A do what he did and now his wife (because we all know how unfortunate domestic situations can be for woman) won't admit that her husband has a gun (because he just got released from prison, can't legally posses a gun - so he could go back to prison for having possession of a gun as well as the damage he created) - the cops can't really do anything (at least at this point...).

Do I have ANY right to tell my leasing office they either need to evict the crazy man or let me out of my lease? I have 2 young children that there room shares the wall with A&B's house. I'm scared. Shots were fired. This is crazy, ridiculus, and obviously not a safe haven... But I can't really afford for a broken lease to be on my credit report (but if it has to be, I will do it - my children's safety is obviously more important). Anyhow, do I have any legal rights?

I'm looking to buy a Wii since my bf never has money to go anywhere anymore, and I can't always afford to pay for him. So I figured it might be something fun we could do while not having to go anywhere. Watching movies all the time gets boring :P Anyway, a guy in the town I work in is selling one plus the remotes, wires, and 2 games for $190. But I'm so scared of buying it and it being a POS. Any advice for me? He listed it in excellent condition and when I asked why he was selling it is he said he just doesn't use it and wants the money to buy an xbox.