Too many people look at the per month payment and say “I can afford it”, without looking at the total cost.
Expanding on that thought: Too many people buy a car at the top of their budget, then they buy a house at the top of their budget, and they take a vacation at the top of their budget. They probably could've afforded to splurge on one of those categories, but when they try to splurge on ALL these items, it's more than they can afford.
Yes, as you said, this is choosing without looking at their total budget /their total costs.
Keep in mind when one accepts financial aid the tax payers are paying for that too.
Obviously. The taxpayers are investing in the next generation.
People these days have too many water bottles. How many does one need?
On a literal level, yes, water bottles are a oft-gifted item from companies, and most of us have more than we need. But those give-aways tend to be thinner /cheaper. I'd rather have one GOOD bottle that'll keep the drink cold all day. I actually have two large Yeti-type cups, and I carry one to work each day -- I do "need" two because I tend to run my dishwasher every other day.
Lately water bottles have become "trendy", so people bought the $40 Hydro-flask a couple years ago, then $40 Yeti products took over, and now they're all "out" -- and Stanleys are the deal.
Beyond water bottles, it's the idea of replacing perfectly good items just because something else is "the new thing". That'll keep you broke.
Not necessarily. My son went to a private University and got $10,000 a year in grants from the University's endowment. Not a single taxpayer dollar. I can't speak to what cost our student and parent loans had to the taxpayers. We paid market rate interest, and did not default, so I suspect the government broke even on that.
So those endowments were gifted by other people /not the same as taxes, but still given from someone else.
She said at least a gallon, did not say multiple gallons. Unless you drink so much water you have water intoxication, dehydration is worse for kidneys than too much water.
I don't think too many of us are at risk of over-consuming water.
I'm no spring chicken and the way I see it is this: the middle class is shrinking and the disparity between living very well off and living by scraping by is widening at a continuum.
I'm Gen-X /born late 60s. When I was a teen my daddy told me my generation would be the last with a middle class -- I think he was off by a generation, but his concept was solid.
I know this is an old post but I was just reading through this thread and wanted to share my "thrifty" tip on college. CLEP tests!
Testing for credit is a great thing -- if you can pass the test. Thing is, everything is based upon your performance on one small set of questions on one single day. Yes, a strong student may knock out a semester's worth of classes -- but they're a roll of the dice.
If you're more of an average student (or if you get nervous on tests), another good option is taking community college classes during your junior-senior year of high school. In my state high school students (with good grades and permission of their principal) can take community college classes WITHOUT COST. Some do it in person /others do it online. But your grade is based upon smaller assignments over 18 weeks -- and you have complete control over whether you do the reading, whether you write the papers. An average student has a better chance with the community college courses.
Another excellent way to save money in college is to PLAN out your classes. I sat down with my kids, read the degree requirements, and together we made a 4-year plan for the major courses -- and they graduated on time. Both of my kids had roommates who just kinda registered for what they thought they should take /what looked fun. One roommate did two summer schools to "catch up" on things she could've done during the semesters. The other roommate took 6 years (full time, no major changes) to complete a 4-year degree.
I don't really gethow they fit into the original topic but.... I buy them. I only like a certain size,and it has to work well(cold,hot, lid mechanism) I currently own 3,the last one I bought bc I wanted a smaller size,insulated stainless steel that was easy to travel with,vs my larger ones that I use closer to home,or in the car locally.
