Hi all,

I have kind of a weird question, I have a bunch of bras (maybe about 10, size 38DD and 40DD) that are in really good condition *worn a couple of times max* except the underwire has poked through the fabric. I have a ton of bras, so I don't really want to go through the hassle of repairing them. Is there some kind of program that I could donate them to? I don't want to throw them out since they are still good except for needing to be sewn or whatever.



X-posted ottawa.

I'm going on vacation on Saturday to Orlando, FL and I know my family won't be able to afford to do much down there. I was wondering if anyone knew free/cheap things we could do either in Orlando or around the area. We'll probably be going to beaches that are about an hour away so if anyone knows free things around beach areas or on the way to beach areas, let me know! :) Also, we're going to be doing a lot of cooking, but will still go out to eat a few times. I was wondering if anyone knew cheap vegetarian/vegan-friendly restaurants in the area?

Thank you!

That you should always have any/all emergency contact phone numbers written down on paper, just in case there is a need to go to the ER. When I had to go in yesterday (nothing major, luckily) and the nurse asked me to tell her my emergency contact numbers, I realized that I didn't know them. I have them in my cell phone but since I no longer have a landline, I don't actually *dial* the numbers anymore (or even tap them in). Instead, I either use speed dial or I just scroll through the names before I hit send.

And yes, I now have the above numbers memorized *and* written down on paper. (The same applies for meds, too.)

As someone who works at a call center, taking calls for various retail establishments, may I pass one a few tips?
( online shopping info )

I just got a prescription for glasses, and I need help choosing a place to get cheap frames and lenses. I have insurance, but it doesn't cover too much, so I've been looking online. I know about ZenniOptical, but I'm hoping for a place that also offers Transitions (I know, that's a lot to ask).

If anyone knows of such a place, please let me know! TIA. :)

so this may be a bit silly, but if you have a price chopper or big y (or other store that uses coupons and has similar sales), you can buy dannon light and fit yogurt for 30 cents a piece.

2/$1.00 if you buy ten.
-1 dollar (manufacturers coupon), then double it with a double dollar coupon.

and voila!

I'm just very proud of my happy sale and want others to get it as well!

I feel like my husband and I are being taken advantage of, and I'd love to get some outside opinions.

We are talking to some landlords about renting out their 4 bedroom apartment in the first floor of a 3 floor house. We viewed the apartment a week ago and they showed us the first floor and the second floor. When we were honest and spoke to them about our pets, the property manager brushed us toward another house to show us a 3 bedroom (older) house that wasn't in good shape.

We have 4 cats, ferret, hamster, hedgehog, fish, turtle, tarantula. We also have good references from at least 2 landlords each that our cats are well behaved. All other animals are in cages. I spoke with the owner of the apartment and she seemed to be alright with the animals, even though they didn't like the large number that we have.

They are asking us for a pet fee of 50 dollars extra a month. That would be 600 dollars a year that we would not get back, even if our cats don't damage the apartment. Our animals haven't caused any damage before.

The lease also states that we have to pay for the apartment to be professionally steam cleaned, this could be taken out of our security deposit, or paid out of pocket. But the fee wouldn't cover that.

Essentially the property manager said that they are charging us "rent" for the animals we have. I guess this is normal for them, though they usually only charge 300 a year for animals.

Is this normal at other places?

Edit: Thanks for the input, I didn't know this was so standard. Seems like a rip-off to me, but I guess it could be worse, so I'll keep on the course of getting the lease.

Has anyone here had any experience actually using something like Mogi or USFidelus (sp?) or any of those other companies offering coverage for car repairs?

If it is what it says it is, that kind of coverage really could come in handy... but is it a total rip? What are the monthly membership fees? I wonder if it's worth it :-/

Does anyone have stories to share?

I've got a great car but it's almost 10 years old and over 100k miles now... I'd rather fix it than get a new one when it does need repairing ... but I am really considering one of these plans...

Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other thrift stores* will be having a holiday sale tomorrow. Salvation Army, in fact, had it today as well, and I got a pair of jeans (cool ones with sparkly thread!), a pair of capris and two pairs of nice office-appropriate slacks for an average of 3 bucks a pair. The normal $6-ish (one pair was originally 7.50, but marked down because they'd been there for a while.) would be impressive, but whoa!

*Bambino Thrift in Oakland, CA is one of them. I went there today and spent a whole $6.50 on a top, because I'm not going to make it tomorrow. :)

My cats liked it, and they are pretty picky. All human grade ingredients. Sign up your cat(s) for the birthday club, and they will send a free can of food on their birthday(s) (plus coupons etc):
http://petitecuisine.com/view/424/22812/Birthday-Club.html

My son has allergies and asthma, and for several years used Nasacort AQ spray, which did a pretty good job of keeping him healthy. He's prone to chronic, long-lasting sinus infections, but on Nasacort he only gets one about every 18 months. But our insurance no longer covers it, instead insisting we use Veramyst, which is a different medication and just isn't working. He's had 2 sinus infections in the year since switching, the most recent of which he's had for several months (he's now on his fourth course of antibiotics and continuing to sneeze like mad).

I'd like to get him back on Nasacort so he can heal up. Out of pocket, it's about $100, though I might be able to get it down to $85 if I enroll in AAA's pharmacy discount program. But online at Canadian pharmacies, it's $40...still not cheap, but much better than $85. If I can talk the doctor into writing the RX, which I think he will when I explain why.

Do any of you use Canadian pharmacies, and can you comment on quality/service/price?

I just found out about this awesome program through my workplace. This low-cost food program has distribution centers all over the country, there are no income requirements or applications and you can order online for most centers. Here is a link to their July menu:

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/menu_0907en.asp

The prices and variety of food is really awesome! I think I might do this to supplement my grocery shopping. It should save us a lot of $$. The only caveat is that it isn't really suitable for vegetarians/vegans.

Let me know what you think.

hubby's job ended June 30th. we're going to get COBRA, but we haven't gotten any paperwork yet. I need to go to the doctor TODAY for a lab test. We called HR but the person who does COBRA is out until the 13th, and there may or may not be anyone who can answer the question in the office at all. Hubby is calling blue cross but who knows if they will be able to answer the question.

I can't eat something till I get the lab test done, so please answer quickly, how does COBRA work before the paperwork is done?

Edit- thanks...just found out he's probably got insurance through Sept.

Okay, I realize this might be a lost cause, but if anyone would know, it would be poor_skills.

I live in Florida and sadly, the area I live in has no bus system. My partner works at the grocery store which is 8 miles away. Last time we found ourselves in a financial crisis, my SO was given a bike from work. However, the 16-mile trek wasn't probably very healthy, considering we don't eat very often because we're broke. lol. Plus it's pretty intensive.

Anyhow, my point is this. My car, the only car we have, is a 1990 PoS. Seriously. Its got under 160K on it but its simply falling apart. Recently, I took it to get the hoses replaced and it turned into a nightmare. The brakes had been having problems and so they replaced all the brakes, but it turns out that the car needs a new master cylinder and the mechanic already advised me that putting more money into the car isn't a good idea. But I just don't know how to get another car.

My vehicle's value is sub par. I would be surprised if you got $100 for it, I'm not joking. According to Kelly BlueBook or whatever, in MINT condition, it could be worth $500 and let's just say this car is in really, really bad shape.

But it has awesome gas mileage (40+mpg)... I am not able to work and I'm currently not getting any income. My partner is making just-above-minimum-wage money and we can't really afford another bill every month. We only have maybe $350 in savings currently.

Is there any way possible to obtain a newer, more reliable car? My car is falling apart, the brakes constantly go out, sometimes the ignition won't turn over, and it has no radio or A/C. I realize the last two aren't big issues, but in the midst of Florida's Summer Sun, it gets awfully hot.

Anyway, any help or advice would be wonderful. Neither me nor my partner have any mechanical skills or know anyone with car skills, so getting something shoddy and replacing/fixing little things simply won't work.

Has anyone ever tried (successfully) to fill a laser printer toner cartridge?

I need to replace my brother hl-2040 laser printer's toner.

I've shaken it up so many times and now my printer won't print. I looked on ebay to get a replacement toner cartridge and found a lot of sellers with 'toner refill kits' that cost about a third of what a cartridge would cost.

I'm not sure how messy or how easy this is. I would be saving a lot of money by going with the kit but if it's worth spending more to avoid headache, splotchy pages or staining myself... I might just buy the cartridge.

Thanks in advanced!

While I realize the cheapest way of surviving is sitting still to not use uneccessary energy, I have wondered about this for a long time:

do any of you have recommendations for exercise?

I do not have money for a gym membership, but would like to keep in shape. Most of us walk or run - that's the cardio for you, but what about your muscles?

Do you know about free resources on the net for muscle training?

Personally, I'd like to find exercises for my stomach other than sit ups (neck trouble). :)

Any thoughts?

Has anyone here ever successfully asked a landlord for a reduction in rent?

i've lived here for a little over a year and have a decent relationship with my landlords. I lost one of my jobs and rent is killing me (i pay $1000 a month for a one bedroom.) I don't think they could get that much for this apartment now, and i could find something similar for about $850, there are a lot of apartments for rent right now. the problem is, i don't really have enough money to get together a deposit/ moving expenses. it would be easiest for me (and them, i think) to stay here and pay less.

how would you go about asking for this? I assume if they say no, i'll need to put in my notice, which sucks.

One of my roommates opened a bank account and deposited a substantial amount of his money in it.

He never got his debit card. He finally went to the bank to wonder about it.

Apparently, they sent his card to his old address where one of the people living there took the card and the pin and cheerfully stole all of his money plus another $400.

The bank is threatening to sue him for the remaining money and is claiming that unless he proves that the money was stolen, they won't do anything about it. He is filing a police report.

How does he fix this? What legal recourse is there?

He really needs his money for thing like, you know, food.

How long do wisdom teeth take to erupt? I've got one coming through right now and it's partially erupted but I've only had toothache for a few days. I really want to avoid a trip to the dentist if at all possible because I know it'll be expensive but if it's impacted then I know I've got to go.

I can't find anywhere online though that says on average how long it might take to erupt and I'd rather wait and see if it'll come through on it's own but I don't know how long to leave it. At the moment it appears to be about half way out with the back section still covered by my gum.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

I am looking for tips on getting a great rate for a rental car...



My sister and I are planning a trip cross-country to transport her and her belongings to college in San Francisco, leaving from Ohio in late July.

We need to rent a car for this trip as she has a car-load of stuff but won't need a vehicle when she gets there. I am 26, she is 21, we both have excellent driving records and would both be driving. We would be dropping the car off in SF as I will be flying back.


Any tips/tricks/advice are welcome!!!


edit: I *do* have a credit card that can be used and, while I know it'll mean fees, I have to put her on the rental since it's going to be several days of driving so we will both need to drive and I don't want to take the risk of not listing her and then there being an accident or otherwise defrauding the company.

If you have a Costco membership, and you need to fill a prescription, do it at Costco. My sister has a horrible middle ear infection, and Bartell's was going to charge $101.00 for her antibiotic. Costco charged just under $39.00.

If you don't have a Costco membership, and you can find someone to go in on one with, do it. It's worth it.

[Edit] I didn't know this: you don't have to have a membership to use the pharmacy. Go up to the door and tell them you want to go to the pharmacy, and they should let you in.

So, in a couple of weeks, we'll be doing the "walk through" on our new apartment. What areas are commonly missed and turn out to be problems later? Any advice for doing this? I've only done it once before and, at the time, I was married and mostly let my husband handle it. We kind of got bitten because the landlord, who we knew well, said they'd fix stuff right away and didn't, etc. and I'm just afraid I'll handle this incorrectly.

I recently got my hair colored for the first time at a salon I regularly go to. My stylist knows me by my first name (we're students at the same university), and we both thought I could use a fun color or two to spice up my otherwise boring hair. He did highlights in soft red and golden blond (my hair is naturally a dark blond), and while the red turned out very funky and nice, the blond is, well, too soft--it doesn't look like it was highlighted at all! (He admitted later that, whenever he first dyes a customer's virgin hair, he goes a little too soft on the color). 

I paid a decent amount ($70!) for a color job, and I want the blond streaks to be, well, more blond! Can I go back and ask him to re-do it for free? Or will I need to wait? Or will I get charged again?

I'm starting to look into buying a home. I have no idea what to do or where to start. Not a clue. I don't know how much to save. Who I talk to. Or if there are any special whatevers for low income single moms. Help? Any, and I mean any, suggestion, words of advice are welcome. Thanks!!

Hi all,

My contacts prescription has changed, and I've put off getting a new one for long enough. Ophthalmology isn't covered under my extreeeemely limited health care plan, so I'm looking for the least expensive way to get a new prescription. My parents are (thank god) going to help me out with the cost of the actual contacts, but do you guys have any suggestions for getting an eye exam so I can find out my new prescription?

If it makes any difference, I'm in Los Angeles.

Hi there -
I'm looking into federal loans for my graduate program.  I was wondering if there is a formula or sort as to how much you should borrow based on the average salary after graduation?  What do you guys think?
(I'm getting an MBA in Non-profit management with a concentration tbd)

thanks :)

Basically, I took out a few student loans my third semester of college (not a ton, but around $5000 total). I dropped out shortly after that, made several bad financial decisions, and have ended up in my current situation. It's been about four years since I left college and I haven't paid anything back on the loans yet (my bad move, I know).

Today I got a letter from the collection agency for one of my loans. They said I was eligible for a compromise agreement or participation in the loan rehabilitation program from the Department of Education.

My current balance is $1483.78 and I am working, just not making enough money to make large payments. Would it be best to attempt the compromise or do the rehab? Either way, I have no idea what to do or what to expect. Any advice?

Thank you!

Something me and my BF noticed..


We normally eat pizza once a week.  We tried making our own, and it didn't work out to well, and we always have left overs form frozen pizzas so we rarely order.  Frozen pizzas around me run between 5-7 dollars, with limited topping choices.  But we've noticed  something lately.  Two local pizza shops and a big chain (pizza hut) offer "Personal" pizzas for $5.  It's jsut enough to fill the both of us up, and ends up the same size and a hair cheaper then frozen pizza.

Greetings!

Thanks for all the info about Sav-A-Lot (and Aldi). I found an area near us that has an Aldi and Sav-A-Lot very close to each other - so I'll be able to stock up!

Here is my next question in the quest to lower my grocery bill. I'm a momma to four kiddos, and we live on a very tight budget. The food part of our budget seems to be part that gives me the most grief (meaning I have a hard time sticking to it).

I found out yesterday that many of the international/ethnic groceries sell produce for a 1/3 of the price of large stores. Along with that, a friend of mine said you can pick up things like beans, rice and spices for *way cheap* at international grocery stores.

Do any of y'all shop at international grocery stores? If so, what do you purchase? Do you have problems with a language barrier?

Thanks in advance! Y'all rock!