Money Matters - Part 11

Apple Supplier in China Pledges Changes After Report Cites Violations
http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

jeez victor were not you applauding the profits from apple stock not to long ago??

No - though I made some $ off them, I always resented the double standard.

And you believe it, Darius??

Sold some gold and silver today, so I have some $ that I didn't have before ☺

Hubby bought some tix for the drawing tomorrow, I would def do some travelling with that $

Me too Jen!

Article in New Yorker about middle class CHinese now getting the travel bug and going to Europe. Money always circles around.

Gas here is 3.93

I applied for a stinking cashiers job at a convience store. Know the guy that owns it so?????

I bought one Mega Million Ticket.

I bought one last night. I chose my own numbers, too.

Good luck Sherrie. earning money is nice, and you're not stuck in an office pushing papers.

Good luck all. I told my DH to get me a number larger than the days of the month, and even numbers mostly--less chance if i do win of having to share it. Still a bad investment except its fun.

went crazy and bought 5 tickets :)

Good luck on the job schickenlady~ Maybe you can work a mention of your desired type of work into every transaction, and get what you want~~

My workplace does 'group ' tickets. Its hard to say no.

Hope you get it Sherrie better than nothing.

You can really tell housing market is really down. There is house about 5 miles from here over 5 acres with part of a tree farm and professional greenhouse walking distance to a county owned historic site(so you know they won't be building there) just over 500K it was probably over a million a few years ago

Wow, Jenn. We should move to NJ. Housing is still expensive here.

There are some wonderful properties that I've been seeing, but problem is selling now you don't get your $ back unless you bought awhile ago, we've only been here 8 years so there is NO WAY we'd get back what we paid.

When I first came to Boston Marblehead "fisherman shacks" on the head sold for $100,000, condos in Charlston for less than that, and a stables in Millis with 12 acres was asking $250,000. This is a reason why college loan debt puts a person even farther behind, if they can't pounce on such opportunities.

My friend's 'vacation home' is a townhouse two miles away for her DD and husband and new baby to live in while he finishes school.

Someone told my DH that lots of people from NJ move(Retire?) to Delaware because of property taxes- very high?

After figuring improvements, we would be maybe just better than even on this house that we bought 22 years ago. Ownership is expensive. Is that a big hoax, the govt telling us how important it is to own a home?

Yeah property taxes here are insane! Some areas a lot worse than others
Yeah the interest for the mortagae is a write off but big deal, you have to pay for all repairs yourself....my sis is going to rent a house now that she's retired in OR

I second that, Jen. Insane. And many people have moved to Delaware for that reason, Sally.

On a happy note. I went to a kids' resale event at the local middle school. There were over 100 consignors. The gym was FULL of clothes and the cafeteria had everything else. I just cut the tags off everything and counted them. I got 39 things and spent $82. I got things for 3 of the grandies and gave money to DDIL for her 3 kids. The 2 oldest are past the sizes that were available. And the youngest had just been given a bunch of handmedowns so she didn't need anything. I'm looking forward to the next sale in October. I know I am making things, too, but for those prices I can't sew them that cheaply.

My moms church has a rummage sale. Prices you just can't beat!!!

Did you know you can appeal the financial aid offers colleges send? We're appealing the offers from Oberlin and Union for my respective daughters since they are intrested in those colleges. Smith set us up for an insult--writing a letter that our DD was selected from an the first patch of women they accepted, then whamno, a pitiful grant aid. We're probably done with them.

DS spent the morning at U Mass Lowell, and it was definitely impressive, both as a value, costwise, the faculty student ratio and the equipment. The building projects are everywhere with dorms, a student union, science centers, the works. We're very relieved. If he grows into his major and wants to travel elsewhere to finish, that's another matter. So he got the sweatshirt and went into the local running store to buy shoes, and there we learned they were looking to hire someone just like him! Fingers crossed.

Sounds like a great day Rosemary.

We appealed last year though DH employment status changed, our total picture did not change until this current year. Even the Fafsa we just sent does not show the change. It certainly will this year. I expect we will appeal again. The appeal let us show such as high school tuition for other kids.

DS is hoping to move off campus for fall; we have almost finished paying fall tuition including room and board. We'll have tp get that adjusted when he's sure. Five guys in a house, expecting about $300 each a month rent or less hopefully. Same DS is a big fan of Goodwill stores!

Clearly dealing with college costs is a passage onto itself. As I type this my dog is bringing me his toys as presents, clearly trying to help. These are decisions to get through. Holy Cross came up with a little bit of aid which I don't think can be improved. Dreams are being made and crushed every day during this season.

Sally, you must be proud of your kids. Look luck with your appeals and adjustments.

Rosemary, surely no prouder than you are of yours! Its both a pain and a priviledge to send them into higher ed. Hey, hate this- DS got his 'award letter' for the upcoming year . Two of the awards are Stafford loans, a subsidized and an unsubsidized. Since when is getting to take out a loan an award??

Was it here that someone asked about fees for smart phones? We have a family plan. Mine is 98, DH with a windows smart phone is 25 and the three kids with regular phones and of course unlimited texting etc, are about 12 each, per month. (remember those horror/ scare stories about teens running up thousand dollar texting fees? LOL)

I've been shopping to replace my phone with broken speaker (probably fell out of my pocket one too many times this year, do not buy slippery plastic cheap case) (here goes my last five extra shifts at minimum wage job- poof) Its very confusing. It had DH stumped. Instant rebates with conditions....had to read them five times to get perhaps why it does not appear when we try to checkout with that phone.Then I think I got why, but when I tried to opt for the bigger data plan, got a warning which makes me afraid they will charge more for DH phone if I make the change...Probably will go back to Amazon and just buy the phone for 99$ and not mess with the data plan change. (Plus $36 is now the upgrade fee) Well, as DH says, these devices are pretty incredible for what they do and being mass produced at that price. He worked in defense electronics on stuff that cost hundreds of thousands. He votes for a 4g phone and oddly that one is cheaper than the 3g I have.

Yep, college award letters contain a lot of smoke and mirrors. We have to have a sobering talk using numbers with our DDs about college debt. DH and I think a year at a state university would be a cheaper way for them to discover whether they really need the expensive liberal arts colleges, but senioritis, peer pressure, and the high school's efforts to improve it's national rank all work against that idea.

Guess nursery business is doing well, I spoke with Bob from Fairweather and he said Saturday's open house was the busiest one they have had in 5 years, even with the lousy weather

Hope the fed govnmt doesn't catch wind of this!!!
http://nj1015.com/should-the-state-be-able-to-seize-your-unused-gift-cards/

Taxes done, whew...getting $ back. would have been more if our former accountant coded my draw correctly but he didn't so that's why he's our former accountant :p

That the first thing Christie's done that I've disliked
: ^P

Same here, Sally

that and lowering the flags for Whitney Houston, 2 strikes....hope he doesn't make it 3!!!!!

Well, I am quite happy today because my gas is only 3.99, not $4....
ROFL
It's so human naturey!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and so stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I can't stop thinking that way!!!!!!!!!!

I paid "only" $ 4.03 this morning.

good deal Sally
So sorry Memory

If you need some new friends- just start shopping for individual health care coverage. Getting many phone calls from agents happy to 'help'

oh and even after you get new insurance you'll start getting all the letters in the mail

Just looked at DD college acceptance. Total cost stated as 19K per semester. But for students coming with a 3.8 GPA or higher, knock 5500 off per semester right away. What's that about? "" We'll take your mediocre/crappy kids but you have to pay us good for the trouble" ?

Gas was no cheaper in S Florida. $4.

Was happy to buy a new pair of New Balance running shoes MADE IN THE USA!! They do that with only some models.

We haven't hit $4 yet, but it's close enough to smell it.

My auto ins. policy went up 35%, and between that and the gas, I may have to give up driving.

It's horrible. Airline prices are rising fast. We are supposed to go to Yellowstone this summer, but I am now afraid to look at the cost. Haven't booked yet. Yikes.
The car rental cost in FL is nuts! Lots of fees, taxes, etc.

Jobs report was horrible. Record number of people not even looking. Ugh.