[CortlandGirl79]

How do you suppose someone w/no job or someone who is just getting by can afford to move???? It costs money to move! Not to mention if you have a house you can't sell and a mortgage hanging over your head. I suppose if you are young, single and don't have a mortgage it may be realistic to move.

Unfortunately, lot's of people have families and lots of stuff and furniture to move.........if they're barely getting by i doubt moving expenses are even something they could afford. Not to mention, once they did move they would have to find a job and a place to rent, which probably requires good credit.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by magellan

Sorry, my apologies. You're right, if you don't have a job and can't find work, why stay somewhere (anywhere). Unless you have skills that you can parlay into your own business, it's better to move on and try something new.

I would tend to agree with that. Unless someone has a very solid safety net in family or has land they can live on -- if you can't find a job, then it isn't very smart going long without one if you need one. The early bird catches the worm, and those who keep their resumes solid will end up better off.

Employers will look at large employment gaps and if someone seemed content to relax until their unemployment ran out, they may not be the applicants to be hired.

[TwoSticks]

Originally Posted by Siberia

...the free OTA channel was more clear, better colors, and less artifacts. Made me sick to my stomach...

That is absolutely correct. The cable/satellite providers typically reduce the bitrates of the OTA HDTV channels when they put them on their systems to maximize their available capacity (= max profits). Reduced bitrates means poorer quality video and audio. The OTA broadcast will always look and sound better.

Originally Posted by Siberia

...In summary, OTA HDTV is the best kept secret in America...

It is going through its growing pains though (I work in the industry), but in time your observation will be spot on. The programming choices will be almost limitless.

[TurboState]

There are a LOT of good tips here. We began paying down debt and making cost saving moves a couple of years ago in anticipation for what was going to happen under Bush. That being said, there are a lot of ways to save big money. Really though all you are doing is trying to offset the rapidly increasing prices.

1) We shop groceries at Walmart or Costco, both have lower prices. Buying in bulk saves a lot in the long run.

2) Consolidated services, WOW offers Cable+Internet+Phone for $89 a month. If you call and beg, they drop it to $69 a month. Thats fantastic.

3) We have Tivo (a must), I called and got the monthly fees dropped to $6.95 under their "Hardship" clause. Huge savings.

4) Move your credit cards with interest to non-interest cards, even if you have to pay a fee to do it. Pay off the lowest amount cards first so you feel like you are getting somewhere.

5) Consolidate all trips to single once a week things saving lotsa gas money.

6) Skip haircuts to every other month or more instead of once a month. Drop tip for the hair cutter down to $1.00 a cut or no tip if it is the owner cutting your hair. Or you can get your haircut at a barber school for $6-$8. Great Cliips if you have one near run $5.99 haircut coupons.

7) Dial down your thermostat if you can, we have an infant so this is difficult. 68 is what we keep ours on. Also turn down your water heater 2-3 notches, this saves 2-5% per notch!

8) Replace lights that are on often with CFL's. I hate CFL's for normal lights they give off ugly light, and are hazards when they break. But they are great for lights on all the time.

9) Caulk your windows on the inside and outside (saves a lot).

10) Cancel Netflix or Blockbuster. This saved us $24.99 a month.

11) Stop using dryer sheets, switch to Vinegar as a fabric softener. Its dirt cheap, and not harmful with the chemicals.

12) We stopped eating out at finer places. Instead 2-3 times a month we get Taco Bell or Pizza or something. No tip, no drinks to pay for, etc.

13) Get your cars put on "Pleasure Vehicle" rating, tell them you don't work anymore or work from the home. Drop collision on any car with under $4,000.00. Raise your deductable to $500-$1000, or whatever you can afford.

14) Bundle your insurance, Car/Home/Boat, whatever with the same person to bargain for a bigger discount. Usually you can drop 25% off your bill.

15) Shop for clothes at resale shops. There are a lot of nice ones around, and you can buy a bag of new looking shirts for $15!

16) Use the library for music, books, and DVD's. It's free, saves a fortune!

17) Put your electronics on switched strips, and cut them off. Standby power in homes consumers a good deal of power.

18) Buy your beef by the quarter or half cow, locally. Not only is it healthier, but far far cheaper. $2.25-$2.55 a pound, and this includes top end steaks. Freeze it in a chest freezer, it lasts a year+.

19) Bottle your own water, get a reverse osmosis purifier, reuse plastic bottles and fill them with your own free purified water.

20) Switch to concentrated natural soaps for all hand washing, dishwashing, body and hair soap, etc. Dr. Bronners sells outstanding peppermint soaps by the gallon, with coupons this stuff costs less than $18 a gallon and is highly concentrated, lasting for a LONG time.

21) Cut the kids back to ONE extra curricular activity per season.

22) Cut back half on birthdays and stuff.

23) Bank online, save on stamps.

We've done so much more, I forget a lot of the things we've done. But overall the only effect it has is to mitigate some of the damage of the rapidly increasing costs of EVERYTHING. Sadly, even with these huge changes, the increasing costs are outstripping the saving efforts.

Not a good situation at all.

[mike jones]

For me.
2nd job.
2nd hand car
Clothes shopping at Marshalls or other discount stores.
Keep the heat in the low 60s
Drive as needed, pre-plan all trips.
No vacations this year, maybe something local.

It works, but it really really stinks.


And Granholm has the nerve to say the other day that we are almost over this!
Yeah Right.
I wonder where she is cutting back????

[TurboState]

That reminds me, we took only 1 vacation last year, rather than our usual 2-3 vacations. Forgot that was one of our big cutbacks.

This year we'll probably do 2 mini-vacations to save money, and they'll both be in driving distance. However I would like to visit a wireless free area of the USA, god willing, we'll head out to one of those. I want a place where I can just kick back, no interference, no radiation from towers, no microwaves beaming my head, and just feel the earth.

I don't think there is one facet of our lives in the last 2 years we haven't cut back on, and I continue to seek methods to cut costs. Bush sure put this country in a serious craphole.

[mike jones]

Another thing.
(This is not for everyone)
We took in borders.

My brother in law lost his automotive job about a year ago.
I am letting him and his wife live in our finished basement until he gets back on his feet. I charge $400 dollars a month plus 1/2 on utilities.

It works but you have to give up some privacy and we do get along.

Between the 2nd job and the rent money we are eeking out an existence.

[ameritrade]

I think that we have a generation or two that has to touch the stove to know it is hot.
I see so many people who bought the big tvs cars homes ect. max out credit cards.
We need a purge and it will hurt before we can get better.
The saudis just bought into if not bought out Bank of America.
We have lost many jobs that we will not get back.
Mcain was right on the money and michiganders did not want to hear it. We are not going to get back the jobs lost.
We also are not going to tech job our way into prosparity, and we are now a 70% consumer nation. How long did you think we could keep this up?
We need a government that has a focus on our economy here and now, we need to focus on getting our dependancy on forgin oil a thing of the past.
Look at bush now, he is kissing a$$ of the saudis asking for more oil please. Like dickens twist, More please.
It is sickening.
We need to force the auto industry to quit building things like the corvet,charger, big suv's and trucks.
We need taxes on these car's and trucks that make people buy more fuel eff. cars. give tax breaks to those who do, and the old idea that the "free market" is god needs to die.
We need to do a big make over, and we will have to fight the far right, and the religous right.
The idea that god loves america and we just need to put the ten comandments in school and things will go right for us is a joke and dangerous at the same time.
We need real people with real ideas. not fake people who think it is "their turn" to be president.
I for one would like to see some one like obama get in, He can not be as bad as what we have now.
We need to give tax breaks to people building or buying 1500 sq ft homes and smaller, and tax those who build mcmansions.
We have this one place to live and what is here is what is here. If we use it stupidly we will pay the price.
Some day soon we are going to have to deal with it.
How long can you just expand?
There is not any undiscoverd lands, or untaped oil to keep us growing.
we are going to have to deal with population, we can not just keep having more and more people. More people means more homes, more oil to heat them and coal or nat. gas to keep them in electric more garbage more more more.
This idea that we can just keep an expanding economy for ever is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.
do we have to wait till we hit the wall before we hit the breaks?

[Driller1]

YES, there is untaped oil! A lot. Talk to the EPA about drilling. Look at the oceans from an educated point of view, not hysterics. Look at nuclear power. We has no problem, just the wrong advise.

[Peter B]

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

So please share how you can make 15-20K per month at home. I'm sure most here have abilities and are educated but almost none will see that level of income from home. Are you one of the spam kings or something?

Spam king? LOL! A friend of mine runs a hedge fund in New York and I basically do heavy research for him via the internet. Some of the opportunities I have found have ended up making millions of dollars for his company. They feed me the crumbs. Direct deposit every month. I don't even have to go to my mailbox. I was in the right place at the right time and I share with the less fortunate in our community as well.