poor and making it

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:00:38 GMT

i'm moving in two months and my first job is to clean out my hall closet aka the health and beauty product closet of doom.

i have quite an overflow of some used and never used lotions, shampoos, nail polishes, etc. i would like to get rid of 90% of everything.

i live in cleveland and was curious as to who i could donate this stuff to. i don't want to toss it (why waste?) or sell it (i doubt i could anyway.) i just want to donate.

my only concern is that some of the products are previously used-- shower gels, lotions, shampoos, nail polish, etc. are there charities that will take these? any place, really.

granted, this isn't so much a poor skill, it's just an attempt to donate gently used hygiene products that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage. there is nothing unsanitary here.

it all boils down to two or three large boxes with those products. who is the best to donate to?

help!

and thanks in advance!

GPS systems...

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:50:21 GMT

I didn't see this posted recently, so I figured I'd ask :)

I need to get a GPS system for work. I'm looking for something hopefully under $300, has maps of the US and Canada (preferrably Mexico too, since I'll probably be going there), has the ability to add more maps (like maps of European countries or Asian countries), and has the ability to take out of the car and use while walking.

I've been looking at the top 3 brands (Magellan, Tom-Tom, and Garmin). Have you had any of these brands or do you know anyone who has any of these? What do you have and do you recommend it? Also, where did you find a good deal on it? Any other info?

I'm afaid I'm going to buy something, then find out that I can't upload any more maps or that it has too much static to understand the directions.

Thanks! :)

Edit: After a few days of debating with myself, I decided to get the Garmin Nuvi 750, since it was on sale at Sams Club for $299. I talked to the sales people at Best Buy again, and they both recommended the Nuvi series. Thanks for all of your help!

Lifetime Warranties, Guarantees, etc. Who Has Them?

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:19:18 GMT

Greetings,

Well with the recent posting on faberware lifetime guarantee (need to mail item to central processing), and the post on Long's (I assume regional chain store) having a great return policy I'm wondering who has such good guarantees or warranties.. sure, it may not always pay... but it would be good to know about some of them, and have a list in one central post. So Please.. tell us what you know. We should be able to sum up policies in a single line or two about each brand. Do you need to save the UPC? The Packaging? The receipt? Can we bring them in-store or do we need to ship them back to somewhere, or bring them to a specific regional distribution & repair center? Let us know! Let's make a list!

Thanks..

So, obviously there are well known brands and policies like ..

Craftsman (Hand tools only) -- lifetime guarantee, paperwork not needed - bring to sears store, exchange for new.

first graders

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:57:49 GMT

Hello! Dear parents, I need suggestions on what a first grader ABSOLUTELY NEEDS for (public) school. She didn't need any for kindergarten except a backpack to carry her homework folder. I don't wanna buy the kid too much school supplies that she doesn't necessarily need. Anybody have a general idea? TIA!

ETA: Thanks for the ideas, everyone! I stuck with the basics just so she'd have something in her schoolbag for first day of school (practice-writing paper, 1 notebook, pack of pencils, sharpener, pencil case, box of crayons (22 cents for 24-count!), glue stick. We'll find out by monday if teacher issues a list. And I will yell at the teacher if he requires a flash drive/calculator.

Also, kid's school has a crappy website (i.e. barely any information there). As for the school lists in big-ticket stores, I haven't checked but I would definitely be suspicious of what's in that list anyway.

Soundproofing?

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:23:44 GMT

I could really use some help on the topic of quick and efficient ways to soundproof.

The story:

My boyfriend shares a house with several other people. He actually sleeps in the breakfast nook, which has an open wall, which is separated from the living room (and therefore, entertainment center) by pressboard and curtains. Try as he might to get them to quiet down while he sleeps, his housemates continue to do things like play videogames at three in the morning without turning the volume down. He's considering moving out, but it would be easier if he didn't have to. As much as I'd like to simply build him a real wall, I can't afford to do that, and neither can he. He's planning on putting shelving units in front of it, but I fear that they will only keep out minimal noise...

Any ideas??

Wanted to share some helpful LJ feeds for "poor skills"...

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:09:19 GMT

click on the feed name to add it to your LJ friends list.

1. getrichslowly : recently named most inspiring money blog by Money magazine — is devoted to sensible personal finance. on the web

2. beingfrugal : written by a wife and mother trying to get out of debt. she writes about practical things she does to be frugal, like using craigslist to its fullest potential and gardening. on the web

3. brazencareerist : not specifically about poor skills, but an excellent blog on job hunting and career advice. on the web

Anybody have other feeds they like?

Collection Agency Woes

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:49:54 GMT

I got a call...well, actually, my LANDLADY got a call for me, from a collection agency. They called her like 4 times, and she finally stormed into my room and woke me up, yelling at me to take the call and give them my phone number instead of hers. This collection agency has also called and sent letters to my brother in OK and to my parents in MS.

So the collection guy was asking me where I get my money and trying to tell me that if I can't afford to make payments on this bill, that I should ask my family members for money. He gave me the line saying all he wants do do is help me. Right. So I wasn't answering any of the personal questions he was asking, and I told him that I am unemployed and am working with an employment counselor. And he said, "so it looks like you are not going to have a job by next August!" wtf? Based on the information I had given him, he said he was going to put in my record that I was a "refusal to pay." I told him I'd never refused anything, and I don't! I fully intend to pay. It's my debt, I made it,

So my question...what is it legal for the collection agencies to do and what is not legal? I am so angry with myself for letting him walk all over me. What should I do about the fact that he put "refusal to pay" in my file, even when I had done no such thing? Is it legal for him to be harassing my family in different states? I am 38 years old! It's not like they're just gonna start writing checks. I am sorry, I know this is totally convoluted. But does anyone have any ideas about what these guys can and can't do? What should I say to him the next time he calls (and I know he will)?

This has really ruined my day.

Thanks everybody.

yet another scam question

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:04:05 GMT

So my husband is looking for additional work right now, and was looking on craigslist and found this:

http://emailprocessing4cash.com/1/index.php

He hasn't been able to find anything about it, scam or legit. Has anyone else heard of this? We're pretty sure it's a scam, but thought we'd get some other opinions.

Thanks!

Edit: I know, i know, i know...

Cell phones..

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:23:51 GMT

I currently have a pre-paid cell phone through TMobile. This works out great for me, because no one ever calls me. However, I will go through spurts of using my phone constantly and spending a ton on minutes. Are theses plans really worth it in the long run? I saw something on the website about a plan where you get charged $1 a day on days that you use your phone.. maybe that would be a better option for me?
Also, my cell phone (That I got in October of 2006, when I switched to prepaid) just died on me. The screen keeps going out and I cant see anything. I re-start my phone and the screen is fine for maybe 2 minutes and then goes black again. No, its not the screen saver going on, its definitely broken. Because Im prepaid, will they give me a discount on a new phone or will I be stuck buying a whole new phone at full price? Any poor_skills tips for getting a good deal on a phone? I checked ebay but it was insane trying to decipher whether or not the phone was in good condition, if it worked with my plan, etc etc. And the only "cheap" ones were being sold for parts or being sold with a contract so it didnt seem like I wold be saving any money at all. :(

P.S. the majority of my usage is text messages.. Maybe a sidekick would be a good investment for the unlimited messaging for $1 a day? This is so confusing and I know if I ask them they will try to get me to spend the most money possible !

Free museum admission!

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:03:39 GMT

For those of you who have a Bank of America check, ATM or credit card, wanted to remind you that this weekend is a part of their Museums on Us 2008 promotion! The first weekend of every month, through April 2009, you and a guest get free admission to select museums in select states!
http://promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums/

ETA: Free admission is only for the cardholder now.

Meals on a shoestring (or less)

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:53:39 GMT

Hi!
I have looked throug the memories and got a few ideas... but I was hoping for a few more!

I have to cook dinners for the week til Thursday with the following ingredients:
500g beef strips (this is about 1lbs)
1kg fish fillets (about 2.2lbs)
2 tins Kidney beans
2 tins baked beans
1 tin diced tomatoes
200g frozen mixed veges (about 7ounces)
Heaps of rice, pasta and some couscous
Various herbs and spices
Crushed Garlic
Crushed Ginger
3 small cans of Lemon Peper Tuna (150g per can or so I think)
1 small can tuna in springwater
Milk
Water (obviously unlimited)
4 eggs
1 Lemon
Spring Onions (i have to use these either tonight or tomorrow)
about 1.5kg Potatoes
1 kilo Onion
Butter
Salt/Pepper
Flour & SR Flour
Tomato and BBQ Sauce
Sweet Chili Sauce
Mayonaise

In addition to dinners, I have to pack lunch for my son on Monday and Thursday for school. My hubby can get his lunch at work and have the cost deducted from his pay.
Just for the record, I don't have a single cent to my name at the moment, so I can't go and buy anything else till Thursday.
As it is I've had to make a damper loaf for bread. I don't think we've ever been quite THIS poor.

Thanks in Advance for any ideas :D

Reimbursement from airlines

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:18:36 GMT

Has anyone here ever been on a canceled flight and was able to get reimbursement for that flight?

In my case, the first leg of an international trip was canceled and I was given a ticket for a new set of flights 2 days later (and I missed 2 days of work), the itinerary was different so I missed part of my vacation (a long layover I was going to use to go sightseeing), they messed up my meal request so I didn't eat most of the flight, AND they put me on the worst seat on the plane for 11+ hours (middle seat in the very back row).
Absolutely no compensation was given aside from the new set of tickets, no explanation was given at the time, I wasn't properly notified ahead of time of the flight cancellation (it's a long story but essentially I was sent an email that said there were changes to the flight but it had the wrong information), my passenger rights were never given to me, etc.

I looked up tips for getting compensation online and wrote to the airline and to Travelocity (who is absolutely horrible, never using them or Air France again). Air France replied twice saying they canceled the flight for "security reasons" and since I accepted their compensation of a new ticket I'm not entitled to anything. I know all of this is bogus, but how do I get compensation? Can an airline really just claim cancellations were due to "security reasons" and get off scot free?

I'm also having trouble finding a better contact information for Air France; a website said I should write to the president or someone higher up than customer service, but I can't find any of that information.

Right now contacting my credit card company is a last resort, as I think I'm entitled to a bit more than a mere refund considering how badly they screwed my trip up. Actually I think that by law I'm entitled to more than a mere refund, but if airlines can get out compensating passengers by claiming cancellations were due to "security reasons" then I don't know...

Theoretically there are a number of things I can do, but I'm really just looking for advice from people who have been in this situation before and were successfully given compensation (aside from people who made their demands immediately after the cancellation, which I know now is what I should have done). Thanks in advance.

EDIT: After reading the comments I'm convinced that within the US passengers have little to no rights. I looked more into EU rights and I'm going to file a complaint with their regulatory commission.
If you've had a flight canceled and were able to receive compensation after flying on your new flight please feel free to comment and explain how you did so :)

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:14:10 GMT

I'm going to a wedding next weekend with my boyfriend, We are both friends of the Groom, and don't really know the bride. We aren't the most creative people and don't have time to make something unless it's easy, and we're both on the poorish side. What should we get for them, something unique?

Home Made Dishwasher liquid

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:46:52 GMT

I was wondering if anyone had tried this recipe?

Dishwasher Gel recipe

1/2 pound plain white bar soap
1/2 gallon water

Grate soap into flakes and place in large pot with water. Stir to
dissolve flakes. Boil 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour into a
glass jar and allow to cool without a lid. Once cool, cover to prevent
soap from drying out. As soap sits it will thicken to a gel consistency.

To use, pour into a squirt bottle, filling bottle 1/4 full. Fill bottle
with hot water and shake before using.

If so, I would like to know what or if I did something wrong. It is very thin. I thought it was suppose to be a gel. I also doubled the batch and more then doubled then cooking time. Any suggestions would be a great help.

Edit: Thank you for all the responses. As it is I simply had to wait.

Free word processor that works like word?

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:41:34 GMT

Does anyone know the name of that program that runs exactly like Office (You can open word docs and make docs that can be opened by word) but is free?
I just got a new computer so there is no word processing program on it and I need word but the cheapest I can find it is $90. Ouch.

[edit] Thank you!

which Eee do I wanna buy??

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:53:59 GMT

Hello there poor_skills folks. I've been avidly reading the computer discussions as I get to / have to buy one and I'm settled on an Asus Eee. Now I just have to figure out which one I get so I'm looking for a bit of advice.

Now number one I am poor but number two I tend to keep computers a LONG time (still will be using the old laptop for a few things and its from 1999/2000) so I have to balance those because often cheaper computers get outdated -i.e. too small- faster.

So I'm getting an Asus Eee (barring any not yet discovered issues with seeing the entire hotmail screen at a time -I hate scrolling side to side- or using Word), I have been debating which one to get, technically I have 600 coming from the government so I suppose that's my budget but anything I can save will feed me -yum- so the less spent the better. I've pretty much ruled out the littlest 2G surf for $299. So I'm mainly trying to decide between the 4G with 512 RAM($349-399, easy to get) and the 8G with 1GB RAM($499-546, so far almost impossible to find with XP). I'm pretty sure I don't want the newest 900 series which is slightly larger and has 4+8GB with 1GB RAM ($550-650, not easy to get), partially because of the new mousing features but could be persuaded otherwise if it's smarter to get the biggest/best possible computer. Suddenly typing that it seems as though that's true but really I need advice.

What I want to do:
**Have it already running XP (I'm just not gonna try and change the OS myself).
**Use word to write and edit basic text documents
**Play on the internet, hotmail, livejournal, view things using flash, ...
**talk to people using skype
and that's most of it.
**If it ran Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8" (which says it needs at minimum "Intel Pentium III / 500 MHz processor 256 MB RAM, 500 MB free hard disk space") that'd be great but not a total requirement.

Thanks bunches in advance :-)

EDIT:
thanks for all the thoughts and advice, I am sure that I need a laptop (living a bunch of different places, and because I have trouble lifting stuff I want an ultra-portable so its the Eee for me. Sadly Dragon only runs on windows so while I actually really like LINUX I need windows. I think Ill be buying a 900 and now just have to find where to get one that I'll receive this month. :-)
P.S. thanks especially to whoever tagged my entry for me, I didn't know how to do that.

grocery help

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:03:00 GMT

1. I'm poor
2. I can't cook

How can I buy healthy groceries without spending a fortune? If I cook I have to follow a recipe and if I follow recipes I end up spending a fortune on all the different ingredients. Any advice on how I save money on my groceries?

What to do with VHS and textbooks?

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:33:29 GMT

Hey, everybody!

In a recent attempt at some spring cleaning, I've come across quite a few VHS tapes that I no longer have a VCR to play and no longer want. I also have quite a few textbooks that are old editions.

I've put up ads, asked around, and tried various websites but it seems like these VHS tapes and old textbooks are going to be just about impossible to get rid of. Throwing them out it beginning to feel like the only option. So, before I take that step, does anybody know of a place that I could recycle/upcycle/donate/etc these items? Anybody on the community want to adopt a video (if yes, I'll post a list)?

Thanks for the help!

Edit: All videos have been claimed! Thanks, guys!

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:34:41 GMT

I remember sometime a few months back, maybe around Christmas, there was an MP3 post. I haven't ran across it though and it doesn't appear to be in the memories, so I'm sorry if this seems repetative.

I would like to get myself an MP3 player for my birthday, which was earlier this month.
I've been looking between various models (such as the SanDisk Sansa and the Creative Labs Zen) and trying to decide what brand to get as well as size.
I'm sheerly looking for an MP3 player and while various bells and whistles are nice, it doesn't need to be too fancy.
Any models to recommend or personal experiences to share? How about places online to order from? Newegg, Tiger Direct, maybe Ebay?
Thanks all :)

Edit: I forgot about specifics. Price wise, I really don't want to spend over $80-100, preferably even less if I can, of course.
I've been looking at 2GB ones - 1,000 songs seems to be too many for me, compared to how I used to get bored of burnt MP3 CDs back in the day (which usually hold 150 usually give or take). So any storage over 1,000 MP3s would probably be a waste, so anywhere from a 2GB to a 4GB probably.
I'm flexible on pretty much everything. It doesn't have to play WMA or video files, anything like that. No need for an FM tuner, etc.
I know some are only rechargeable via USB, which doesn't bother me since I won't be using the player for extended periods of time on trips.

Rats. Not the cute kind.

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:50:01 GMT

Our first-floor apartment has rats. (Not mice; rats. We've seen them. They're rats.) We don't leave food out, and they don't get into the food stored in the cabinets, but they still come out every night and poo all over the counters (and the floor, and the stove, and on top of the refrigerator ...)
I assume they're eating the cockroaches (which is good, I guess).
The landlords know, and they've sprayed poison everywhere (which is good. I guess.)

I assume they're coming through the hole in the wall, where the gas for the stove is piped in. The hole is behind the cabinets and not accesible to closing off.

Cats are not an option. What can we do?

Edit to add: I'm not willing to kill them, and no-kill traps are notoriously unreliable.

What is your favorite poor skill?

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:12:38 GMT

My favorite poor skill is making my own body scrub. 1 cup of sea salt and 1/3c of oil (almond, grapeseed, olive, etc). Mix it up in a jar (I got mine at the dollar store) and there ya go. It takes a bit to absorb into your skin but you feel great after using it. The oil is the most expensive and the sea salt you should be able to find with regular salt and the kind I got was just a few cents more. www.thesage.com has loads of other diy recipes for bath and body.

What is your favorite poor skill?

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:12:21 GMT

I'm an American living in Australia, so I have to call the US a lot. Any Australians have a cheap phone card they like? (Preferably one that has decent connections, as it helps to hear the person I'm talking to!) I used to use Say G'day, but apparently they're not selling new cards anymore... :(

ETA: I know Skype is super-cheap and all, but I really prefer to use phone cards - I like to be able to use them at places other than in front of my computer. :) Also I would prefer not to eat up my bandwidth, delicious as it is.

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:54:48 GMT

I know this gets asked a lot, but there aren't that many posts tagged with 'recipe' soo...

I just recently had to start buying all my food for myself for the first time and after a few weeks of buying things that I fancied daily I've come to realise that it's ridiculously expensive. I spent around £50 in a week on food for one person! So I decided to start shopping once a week and buying things that would make a few meals. However, after spending a while poking around Tesco's site I'm totally nonplussed as to what sort of things to buy and what I can make with them... I've never really cooked much for myself (I'm a TERRIBLE cook) so I'd like to ask - what things do you consider basics that should be bought every week? And what do you make with them? Preferably things involving fresh vegetables and no meat (good meat is way too expensive!) and things that are REALLY simple (today I fucked up just trying to make a tomato sauce for my pasta :().

Thanks!

The Business of Being Born

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:42:43 GMT

Last October I went to see a screening of The Business of Being Born. As you can see on the link, it's a documentary, by Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake (yes, that Ricki Lake) about birth -- the past, present, and problems with birth in the US. I posted about it here (and in other lj communities - vaginapagina, naturalbirth and the like) at the time, and I'm back talking about it again because it's just recently been more widely released and is now accessible on Netflix, even on their quickie download feature for immediate entertainment.

From the movie's website: "Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies. The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal. Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?".

From the website of Cara Muhlhahn, midwife featured in the film "In this candid and eye-opening documentary, director Epstein and producer Ricki Lake tackle the controversial debate between at-home and hospital births in the U.S. This film reveals shocking facts regarding the historical and current practices of the childbirthing industry contrasted with the realities of childbirth at home."

If you're a member on the fabulous site mothering.com, you can see that there have been multiple discussions on the topic (here, here, and here, for starters).

It was, in brief, amazing. I went in hoping it would be good and it blew.me.away. It was inspirational and thought-provoking and incredible. I can't encourage you enough: see this film. Learn what Ricki and Abby are talking about. Educate yourself and those around you. Home birth (and really, midwife birth in general) costs several thousand dollars less than OB birth. You're looking for a poor skill? Here's a poor skill. Other pregnancy-birth-parenting poor skills to look into, aside from midwife-led birth: breastfeeding and cloth diapering. Empowered, educated choices, y'all!

(this repost was approved by a moderator)

Quick money suggestion and Diet/poor/quick/tasty food

yayoubetcha@gmail.com — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:23:09 GMT

I am a college student taking 6 classes. I really don't have too much free time outside of school but sometimes I need extra money. I have signed up for a few local temporary work Agencies that often have one day work situations. I call when I need work (sometimes a week or a few days in advance) and I usually get paid same day or later that week by my temp agencies. The jobs are usually minimum wage or a little higher for basic stuff like washing cars at a rental car company or being a parking attendent. This is AWESOME! I highly reccomend it.

I also am on a diet, which is hard on a budget. I have found that a lot of cheap food isn't at all healthy. I reccomend frozen meals which are often about 3.50 on sale at Safeway, AND only 300 callories. My favorites include Healthy Choice's Traditional Turkey and Lean Cuisine Beef Tips Dijon (same price 290 calories)

ADDED TO ENTRY:

I forgot to mention this part in my entry. I live on an island. Things that cost maybe 70cents on the mainland are typically two dollars more expensive, gas is 4 dollars a gallon. 3.50 where I am in damn cheap.

Also, My original issue is that I need to have food ready without prep

Peanut butter and jelly isn't really a diet food, peanut butter has a lot of fat and jelly is sugar. This would probably be less filling, more work, and longer to prep than a meal that has no trans fat, 300 calories low sodium AND vegetables.

Do I just eat these meals? No. That would be grossly unhealthy, however on the days that I go to school for 10 plus hours absolutely.

ADDED TO ENTRY!
However! I do want to take the time to thank everyone for their ideas, most of them I will try (soups, rice bags). Thanks everyone!