Search found 183 matches

by Greenewashed
Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Poll: your financial assets > debt?
Replies: 56
Views: 4857

Re: Poll: your financial assets > debt?

acegolfer wrote: Given the results so far, more than half BHs don't have any debt.
How do you conclude this from the poll results?
by Greenewashed
Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Question about refinancing with Amerisave
Replies: 16
Views: 2326

Re: Question about refinancing with Amerisave

porcupine wrote: +1. I once entered my phone number and contact info at Amerisave, and now, each time I check the site for rates, I get a phone call not 5 minutes later. Of course, it goes to voicemailhell and I don't listen to it! I think that is creepier.

- Porcupine
Delete your cookies.
by Greenewashed
Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another reason why you should never reuse passwords...
Replies: 249
Views: 59587

Re: Another reason why you should never reuse passwords...

If I have my gmail address set to two-factor authentication, is it safe to store all of my passwords in a Google Docs file?
by Greenewashed
Mon May 14, 2012 11:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Newly Engaged! Looking for wedding budgeting advice
Replies: 14
Views: 2334

Re: Newly Engaged! Looking for wedding budgeting advice

Congratulations! A quick way to budget for a "typical" wedding is to divide your budget in half and allocate that to your reception. Then split the rest evenly among flowers, photography, attire, music, and everything else. That's a starting point, and you can reallocate based on what's most important to you. So for example, if you don't care about having a brand-new dress, you can save a ton by buying a sample or secondhand, and use the savings to get a better photographer. This is a "typical" breakdown assuming that you are having a fairly conventional wedding. Obviously if you are eloping or having a double wedding or a destination wedding, the budget will look really different. "Marriage finances, etc." is ...
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 2:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [should my friend] strategically default?
Replies: 96
Views: 7137

Re: [should my friend] strategically default?

porcupine wrote:
Greenewashed wrote:[...]If the owner truly can't afford the home then that is not strategic default. Strategic default is when you can afford to make the payments, but choose to walk away.
Read alternative #3 in OP.

- Porcupine
Are you referring to the war chest? I don't think this is a standalone alternative. It's the 3rd step in the alternative, which is walking away.

OP is saying that instead of the "friend" paying the mortgage, "friend" can live there rent-free until evicted (step 1), then rent a cheaper place (step 2). Meanwhile "friend" is saving up $2800/month during step 1, and $2800-rent during step 2, to build the war chest to buy a house at a distressed price (step 3).
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 2:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [should my friend] strategically default?
Replies: 96
Views: 7137

Re: [should my friend] strategically default?

LearningToSpend wrote: If they could refinance, they'd consider staying.
But, they can not "afford" to keep making a $2800 payment on an $80k salary.
It is idiotic to do this, and very risky. No cash cushion, no savings.
This person ran into personal trouble (partner fled) and was left holding the bag.
This otherwise prudent and conservative person SHOULD be living in a $1200/mo apt, and NOT be stuck in an almost $3000/mo house they don't want, can't use, and can't sell. they are truly STUCK, and they need a plan.
If the owner truly can't afford the home then that is not strategic default. Strategic default is when you can afford to make the payments, but choose to walk away.
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 2:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Deciding on what to cut from our budget?
Replies: 33
Views: 6419

Re: Deciding on what to cut from our budget?

Cody wrote:We want to go to Ireland and have a $5500 CD set aside, which I thought would be plenty. Not!!!! But I digress.
That should be plenty unless you insist on flying first-class or staying in luxury hotels. Why do you think it wouldn't be enough? For example, here is air, hotel and car for 6 nights for $1200/person. http://www.budgettravel.com/real-deal/i ... 1199,8562/
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 11:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?
Replies: 70
Views: 5190

Re: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?

joppy wrote: +1. [Edit: Looks like Greenewashed replied the same as I did before I did.]
I may have gotten in first, but your explanation was much more eloquent. :sharebeer
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 11:03 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?
Replies: 70
Views: 5190

Re: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?

But this was a multiple-offer highest-bidder-wins scenario. That's what our realtor told us. Is that not how it normally works; was the realtor wrong? I think it's unlikely that anyone would expect the highest bidder to win automatically. BEST offer maybe, but not highest. This is the third or fourth time I'm trying to make this point, but offers are not apples to apples comparisons. Someone can offer $20k more but insist on a closing date three months out, for example. Or a buyer with a 580 credit score offers $20k more but the offer has a financing contingency that will never be met. Or the offer is contingent on the sale of the buyer's other home in a terrible market. There is no way the bank would bind itself to taking the highest offe...
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?
Replies: 70
Views: 5190

Re: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?

burnout454 wrote:I'm the OP. I've assumed up to this point that the bank was insinuating the other bidder was higher than me (whether a lie or not).

But now I'm leaning toward the possibility that I was in fact the high bidder, now being lured into a higher price.
I thought you realized that. Yes, that's the rub of these multiple-offer situations. All the seller has to say is that there's another offer on the table. That other offer can be for $100, or it can have such a ridiculous list of contingencies or other terms that no one would ever accept it, or it can be from a buyer that has zero chance of obtaining financing, etc. It can be the world's lousiest offer, but the seller can use it to force your hand.
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?
Replies: 70
Views: 5190

Re: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?

There are ways to restart the clock. He can counter lower and tell the bank he got carried away negotiating and has since run the numbers and realized he can't pay that much (he can blame this miscommunication on his wife or the lender to make this more believable). Or that now that the bank has shown that it's going to be a hassle to deal with, he's lowering his offer accordingly. If the OP is truly willing to walk away, he's in a position of strength.
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 8:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?
Replies: 70
Views: 5190

Re: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?

To be fair, I posted my experience at the same time as OP. So he'd only had one testimonial at that point, and maybe he overlooked it? OP, another question I'd have is how long the house has been on the market. If it's been on the market for months, it's suspicious that there would suddenly be two viable offers on the table. So chances are the bank is bluffing about the other offer, or it's not a credible or viable offer. Is the house priced fairly relative to comps? Personally I think you should stand your ground. The bank is asking for more money because it has little to lose. Worst case (for the bank), you stand your ground and the parties settle on $177k. The bank is probably figuring it's unlikely that you'll get so insulted by the $18...
by Greenewashed
Thu May 10, 2012 8:13 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?
Replies: 70
Views: 5190

Re: Is Bank of America tricking me on foreclosure purchase?

The exact same thing happened to us, but with a private seller. We gave our best and final offer (slightly above asking price) and the seller countered $15k higher. We said no, best and final means best and final. About a week later, he agreed to our price. We dodged a bullet because the appraisal came in about $25k lower than our price. After another week of waiting, the seller agreed to come down to the appraised value. We shake our heads at how close we came to way overpaying, due to our emotional attachment to the house and our blind negotiating position. The seller's agent seemed shady, and I doubt whether there really was a second offer. If there was, I'm sure it was nowhere close to ours or had other deficiencies (buyer with bad cred...
by Greenewashed
Fri May 04, 2012 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slide and photo negative scanning services
Replies: 4
Views: 1319

Re: Slide and photo negative scanning services

I used Scancafe.com to scan some slides. You have to wait a while for the service because they send your photos to India for processing. The tradeoff is that it's less expensive than services with a faster turnaround time.

One thing that was super annoying was that the return shipping cost was expensive, and it was hidden--it didn't get added to my total until AFTER I had submitted the order. So watch out for that. Also compare their various pricing schemes--you may find it cheaper to get their flat-rate box if you have the right amount of photos to scan. They used to run a $40 for $100 Groupon regularly, but I haven't seen it lately.
by Greenewashed
Wed May 02, 2012 2:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cash for gold
Replies: 9
Views: 1518

Re: Cash for gold

I've sold scrap gold and silver to Midwest Refineries (http://www.midwestrefineries.com/). They have no minimum and no fees. They pay out 90% of the value of platinum.
by Greenewashed
Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Delete
Replies: 1
Views: 414

Delete

.....
by Greenewashed
Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: thoughts on the 50-30-20 budget?
Replies: 31
Views: 7713

Re: thoughts on the 50-30-20 budget?

I've read All Your Worth . It's by Elizabeth Warren and her daughter. Remember EW concerns herself with the lower middle class, the "two-income trap," etc. She isn't really targeting people making $200,000/year, although if those people are living beyond their means they could definitely use this book. The numbers are based on after-tax pay, but not after other deductions like medical insurance, transportation. Under their plan, you keep your nondiscretionary expenses (which includes housing, transportation, anything you have a contract on, and a moderate amount for food) under 50% of your after-tax income. You keep your "wants" (which would include e.g. any food over that sustenance-level amount that's included in the 5...
by Greenewashed
Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Girlfriend is an heiress, who should pay?
Replies: 197
Views: 21058

Re: Girlfriend is an heiress, who should pay?

Being in a long-distance relationship you are a prime candidate for a roommate situation. Use the money you save to buy the plane tickets. Solved. You are talking about a few thousand dollars a year here--if you really want to make the relationship work, you will find a way.
by Greenewashed
Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to get a wife interested in personal finance
Replies: 61
Views: 8452

Re: How to get a wife interested in personal finance

Maybe you mean spouses and not necessarily wives? I know it sounds sexist even though I'm definitely not If it quacks like a duck....... Didn't mean to cause any controversy here, but I guess gender terms are probably sensitive enough to be 'off-limits' if there's such sentiment about the posts. Will definitely avoid any mention of gender in the future, sorry. I should have written my post as "SPOUSE" as recommended above to avoid the whole gender issue. Sorry. No, you shouldn't have used the word "spouse." You could have said something like "my wife (let's call her 'Julie')..." You aren't talking about people in general or spouses in general or wives in general. You are talking about ONE particular person, YO...
by Greenewashed
Mon Feb 21, 2011 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slate article: "I Hate My iPad"
Replies: 24
Views: 5189

livesoft wrote:I don't think I will ever pay $604 for a Scrabble game.
:lol:

To be fair, it's not just Scrabble. There's also Angry Birds.
by Greenewashed
Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: hawaii big island suggestions
Replies: 19
Views: 3557

Re: hawaii big island suggestions

Pacific wrote:
the beerdrinker wrote: suggestions on restaurants
Merriman's in Kamuela -- expensive but excellent
This reminds me, I wish the guidebooks had warned me about Kamuela/Waimea! They made it out to be some kind of picturesque shopping town, and really it's a generic exurb-type town full of strip malls and completely unwalkable. Not to knock your suggestion, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Waimea. Only stop if you're passing through anyway.
by Greenewashed
Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: hawaii big island suggestions
Replies: 19
Views: 3557

If you are indeed active and don't have nonrefundable reservations, I would strongly suggest staying near Volcanoes Nat'l Park. There are several inns just outside the park entrance. We just got back from the big island and stayed 3 days in Volcano Village, hiked our butts off every day and still didn't see everything we wanted to. Honestly the volcanoes are the main attraction of the island IMO; they are what really make it unique, and staying on the coasts the whole time seems like something of a waste especially if you aren't beach people. I agree that in general the restaurants we went to weren't so great, but groceries are quite expensive there ($6 for a loaf of bread, $4 for a dozen eggs, and so forth), so the usual advice to save mon...
by Greenewashed
Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slate article: "I Hate My iPad"
Replies: 24
Views: 5189

I've borrowed Mr. Greenewashed's iPad and I think it's terrific for travel (it's nice to have internet capabilities with a bigger screen than a smartphone, and not have to carry a laptop or even a netbook--oh and we downloaded the Scrabble app for $5 and ditched our bulky travel Scrabble) and for a few other discrete functions but I can't really see it contributing much to my existing gadget collection (laptop, ebook reader and Android phone). I love the e-ink of my Sony Reader and don't want to give that up to read books on a backlit screen, and I can't justify having both a reader and a color tablet. So no iPad for me.
by Greenewashed
Tue Feb 08, 2011 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 0.0% APR credit cards - catch?
Replies: 17
Views: 11972

I believe that under the recent credit-card legislation, issuers are now required to apply payments to the highest APR first. The rules have changed, so read the fine print.
by Greenewashed
Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What expenditures improved your happiness/quality of life?
Replies: 234
Views: 45539

This sounds mundane, but kitchen gadgets have a huge return on investment. For $15 you can get an Oxo can opener to replace the $1 one you got at the grocery store that hurts your hand every time you use it. A mango cutter to get the pit out in two seconds. An extra set of measuring cups and spoons so the size you need is always clean and you don't have to measure the baking powder in the spoon you just used for vanilla. Etc...

We recently asked our landlord to install a dishwasher, and it's the greatest thing ever.

My iPod Touch is a little wonder machine, and if I had some extra monthly cash to blow I would probably spring for the iPhone, so that I didn't have to carry a phone in addition to the Touch.
by Greenewashed
Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: A cautionary tale: Check your paystubs
Replies: 4
Views: 1762

A cautionary tale: Check your paystubs

A payroll error at Yale University caused underwithholding of taxes for 61 employees with same-sex-partner health benefits. Yale will be recovering the underwithheld taxes from the affected employees via payroll deduction over the next three months. According to one employee who did not want to be publicly identified criticizing the university, paying the tax back over a three-month period would reduce take-home pay by 33 percent — and that doesn’t even include the taxes owed for this year. http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/yale-payroll-error-costs-gay-employees-thousands/ This is a great reminder to check your paystubs, know the law on withholding and make sure everything looks right. If just one of these 61 employees had caught th...
by Greenewashed
Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Verizon Will Offer the iPhone Next Month
Replies: 39
Views: 5102

jasonlitka wrote:
Greenewashed wrote:No contracts for me, especially if pricing will be similar to AT&T (close to $100/month for voice and data). I've thought about getting an unlocked iPhone and trying to make it work for voice with my T-Mobile prepaid plan, but haven't gotten around to doing the research.

No contracts for me.
It will work if you have the right plan but there will be no 3G connectivity since the 4 doesn't support 1700Mhz connections (which is the primary frequency for T-Mobile US). The phones aren't cheap either, mine was about $1000...
Wow. Thanks for the info. Could I buy a phone from AT&T and unlock it myself? The phone (subsidized price) + ETF is still a lot less than $1000.
by Greenewashed
Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Verizon Will Offer the iPhone Next Month
Replies: 39
Views: 5102

No contracts for me, especially if pricing will be similar to AT&T (close to $100/month for voice and data). I've thought about getting an unlocked iPhone and trying to make it work for voice with my T-Mobile prepaid plan, but haven't gotten around to doing the research.

No contracts for me.
by Greenewashed
Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Money Magazine Subscription and Paypal: BEWARE!!!
Replies: 11
Views: 35621

Out of curiosity, I went to money.cnn.com and clicked "Subscribe to Money" at the top right of the page. I don't subscribe to Money, so I may have seen a different screen than you, and certainly a different offer--13 issues for $14.95. This page reads, in part, Pay now with your credit/debit card or PayPal account and receive 13 issues (1 year plus 1 bonus issue) of MONEY for only $14.95 - our guaranteed savings rate. You'll save 68% off the cover price. Plus, you'll receive all the features of the Subscriber's Automatic Renewal Program described below. (bold in original) And later down on the page: Subscriber's Automatic Renewal Program: You authorize MONEY to charge your credit/debit card or PayPal account at the price above now...
by Greenewashed
Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Buying home
Replies: 11
Views: 1408

Chuck wrote:This is sure to be a pile-on, but here goes...

No one should be buying a home with their boyfriend, ever.
Does your answer change if the buyers cannot enter into a legally recognized marriage?
by Greenewashed
Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hotel in/near Union Square in SF
Replies: 22
Views: 3733

A tip on parking/driving. If you need a car and are a member of Zipcar, consider renting one by the day in SF. I did this when I stayed in Union Square--rented a Zipcar within a few blocks of my hotel. The price was competitive with the regular car rental agencies (especially when you figure in that gas is included in the Zipcar rate) and best of all, I just left the Zipcar in the garage where it always lives overnight and didn't have to pay for separate parking.

On second thought, best of all might have been that there was no need to go to a car rental counter.
by Greenewashed
Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:00 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Saving money on Groceries - Online shopping?
Replies: 23
Views: 4145

Try to find a neighborhood meat+produce market. You might not find everything you need, but prices for fresh produce should be vastly lower than at the big grocery stores.

You won't save money doing PeaPod. Their prices are as high as, if not higher than, grocery stores, their sales aren't great, and the $10 delivery fee will kill any savings.
by Greenewashed
Tue Dec 28, 2010 3:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Restaurant gift certificate protocol
Replies: 19
Views: 2648

Bring your friend, order the lobster, share a good bottle of wine, and if service was at least good, leave a huge tip to bring the total to $250.
by Greenewashed
Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Accountant made a mistake on my taxes. How would you handl
Replies: 38
Views: 7774

The real problem though is if any future mistakes are made that costs me significant amounts of money, I can't really push the matter due to family ties. [snip] I may be too quick to judge on this issue, and wouldn't want to lose a good accountant over a small error. You seem to be saying two things. One is that this mistake has made you nervous that more errors will come; the other is that you feel this is a good accountant and you value the relationship. Personally, I wouldn't continue to use an accountant I didn't feel I could trust. As to the $2 penalty. Seriously, it's pocket change. Let it go. When you consider the interest you could hypothetically have earned on the taxes you underpaid for however many months, it's probably close to...
by Greenewashed
Sat Aug 28, 2010 8:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Kindle vs Nook
Replies: 40
Views: 9602

I just got a Sony Reader and I love it. I chose it over the Kindle because, unlike the Kindle, you can use it to read free e-books from the library, or add public domain books to it for free from sites like Project Gutenberg. The trade-off is that there are fewer books for purchase from the Sony store than from Amazon, but the selection still seems quite good to me. The Reader has been around longer than the Kindle, so support is good and you aren't buying a first-generation product.
by Greenewashed
Sat Aug 28, 2010 8:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: O/T Pawn stars vs American Pickers
Replies: 38
Views: 10321

Pawn Stars is entertaining but I agree it's quite scripted and I REALLY hope the people who come in aren't really selling their valuable antique widgets based entirely on the appraisal of the owners' buddies. Get a second, IMPARTIAL opinion before you part with your authentic Paul Revere gravy bowl, seriously. I also feel a bit sad watching it because I associate Las Vegas with a few vices and I feel that some of the sellers are selling under duress.

I've only seen one or two episodes of American Pickers. I guess I'm just not interested in rusted-out paint cans and motorcycle parts.
by Greenewashed
Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Airline search to anywhere
Replies: 11
Views: 6441

Paladin wrote:
Sirrip wrote:http://www.Kayak.com :D
Nope. You need to put in a destination as well. That's not what the OP asked for.
Nope. kayak.com/explore brings up a map of low fares from your city. You can narrow it down by date range or price range, or not.
by Greenewashed
Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: extended warranty for used minivan
Replies: 17
Views: 2187

We bought a used car over the weekend also. The financing guy pushed the warranty HARD. He tried a lot of tricks to get us to buy it--dropping the price, telling us the warranty was "free" because it would be rolled into a lower-interest loan, suggesting that the car was a problem car and would definitely need major work in the next few years (so why should we buy the car?), etc. I politely declined each time, and he got agitated and started to insult my intelligence. Finally I calmly told him that if we added the price of the warranty to the price of the 2006 we were buying, we could buy a 2009 at another dealership that's still under the manufacturer's warranty. He backed down. So, I don't know anything at all about these warran...
by Greenewashed
Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: ebay [returning item]
Replies: 12
Views: 1685

Ebay is not the customer is always right place nor are the sellers on ebay. I disagree with this! Ebay's policies are VERY friendly to the buyer. This is the rare exception. There's a good discussion of the whys and wherefores here: http://answercenter.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1000205155&mod=1261509466771 If a problem comes up in an eBay/PayPal transaction, I strongly recommend going to the eBay discussion forums and asking the folks there for advice before you do anything. The eBay and PayPal dispute resolution processes are myriad and complex, and it takes a lot of time to figure them out. The people on the discussion boards are in many cases full-time sellers or frequent buyers and have learned the ins and outs. Occasional user...
by Greenewashed
Tue Apr 14, 2009 12:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Negotiating sale prices on a house
Replies: 29
Views: 6095

I'd suggest searching the public records yourself (some counties have the records available for free or for a fee online) rather than relying on Zillow. Zillow does not list the most recent sale for my home (i.e., my own purchase), and as a result its estimate is lower than both the unit above me and the one below me with the identical floorplan. The sale is correctly listed with the recorder of deeds. AFAIK there is no way to contact Zillow to correct this.

In short - their records are inaccurate and their estimates should be considered a fun curiosity, at best.
by Greenewashed
Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Why isn't Visa card accepted at Sam's Club?
Replies: 46
Views: 14778

Cool list, Bob. The first two bullets (the McDonalds results and the supermarket shoppers) seem misleading because people may decide how to pay after they see the bill. The same person might pay cash if the bill is $2 but if it's $20 will pull out the plastic. But in my own life, just limiting myself to paper money has made an enormous difference. Even though I never carried a balance on a credit card, just using it led to spending more.
by Greenewashed
Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:40 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Guaranteed 25% instantaneous return
Replies: 81
Views: 11401

eurowizard wrote:So you want a tax-credit for something you didnt earn or deserve?

Sounds like fraud to me. --Inflamatory remark deleted--.
Touché!
by Greenewashed
Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Why isn't Visa card accepted at Sam's Club?
Replies: 46
Views: 14778

Since going cash-mostly I find that I save FAR more than 2% on all my purchases. I just naturally spend a lot less when I pay with cash. Not only am I more aware of my spending when I'm out and about, but I've cut down on online purchases. (I still use a debit card for those.)

I have a hunch that merchants make up for the 2% fees because those who pay with credit cards spend materially more than they would otherwise.

On a side note, I frequent a coffeeshop that accepts only cash. It amazes me how many people have to run across the street to an ATM because they don't have $5 in cash on them to buy a cup of coffee. Couples come in and neither of them has any cash.
by Greenewashed
Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Discounts for Cash?
Replies: 31
Views: 4767

Specialized wrote:Congratulations, you've got plausible deniability.
Let me guess, you pay the use tax for everything you buy on Amazon, too.
by Greenewashed
Sun Mar 29, 2009 9:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Stats Anyone?
Replies: 21
Views: 4291

As a non-car-owner, the transportation figures are staggering to me. I knew having a car was expensive, but had no idea that it adds up to 75% of the average mortgage. My mortgage might be a little bit on the high side (big city), but my total cost for housing + transportation is well below average, even for my demographic.
by Greenewashed
Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Jim Cramer gets bad press
Replies: 50
Views: 9783

tonythered wrote:
Greenewashed wrote:I was shocked to find out that over half of CNBC viewers are millionaires. Median net worth is $1.2MM.
There is no way this is an accurate statistic.... citation, please? Sounds like spin from CNBC itself....
Well, okay, you got me there. ;)

Here's the link:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15907487/site/14081545
According to a July 2004 survey by Mendelsohn Media Research, the median household net worth of CNBC Business Day viewer exceeds $1.2 million.
by Greenewashed
Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:33 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Adrian and Tolerable Loss
Replies: 56
Views: 10188

Did anyone watch The Office tonight? Michael comes up with what seems to be a brilliant idea. When it backfires, he tells Dwight to take the fall for it. Then, in another twist, it actually turns out to be a brilliant idea, and Dwight gets the credit.

Michael's punchline: "I want to be given all of the credit and none of the blame."

I thought it was fitting that I was reading this thread during the commercials...[/i]
by Greenewashed
Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Jim Cramer gets bad press
Replies: 50
Views: 9783

I was shocked to find out that over half of CNBC viewers are millionaires. Median net worth is $1.2MM.
by Greenewashed
Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Kevin Kline, er, R. Allen Stanford to plead the 5th
Replies: 10
Views: 2051

MarcMyWord wrote:Resemblance is even more uncanny in this photo:

http://www.topnews.in/files/Allen-Stanford.jpg

Now I wonder: Which one of them was really in A Fish Called Wanda?
What about Dave? Maybe it wasn't Kevin Kline playing a guy who pretended to be the president... maybe it was Allen Stanford pretending to be Kevin Kline playing a guy who was pretending to be the president!