Do you always need brand name stuff or can you settle with generics? It’s a battle that rages throughout the strip malls, supermarkets and boutiques. And chances are, you’re already fighting for one side or the other.
Brand names are armed with “reputation,” aesthetic appearance and sought after trends. Generic brands are at bargain prices, and mimic the look of the brands without ruining your budget. The true quality of each is often debated, and many of these possessions serve the exact same purpose, regardless if it’s the real thing or concealed in a generic cloak.
What Possessions Are Worthy of the Brand Names?
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College is ridiculously expensive no matter what you do. Cutting costs wherever possible is essential if you are to end your years in school without crippling yourself with debt. One of the best places to save money is textbooks. An average textbook, especially for a higher level class can run over the hundred dollar mark, and most classes require more than one. Saving money on these books is easy, but it takes a bit more planning than just stopping by the college bookstore.
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“We have to get out of here,” my husband said. “Living here eats up whatever we make. We will never be able to save significant amounts of money as long as we stay here.”
He was right, of course. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, one of the most expensive locations in the United States, is wonderful – the culture here is amazing, the population diverse and very tolerant, and the weather is mild year-round. We love the Silicon Valley with all the career opportunities it presents us, and we enjoy being surrounded by smart, ambitious people and lots of entrepreneurs. However, the price tag attached to living here is hefty.
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Social lending (also known as person-to-person or peer-to-peer lending) offer individuals the opportunity to borrow and lend money in significantly smaller amounts than a bank would deal in, as well as a social context in which to lend money. In a way, if you use one of the sites offering social lending, you can compare it to lending money over Facebook or Twitter — you can see a lot of information about the lender that a bank or other lending institution would consider less important than the statistical factors that give odds on whether or not a borrower will repay a loan.
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You know that your credit score is based on information in your credit history. However, few people wonder how it gets there. The answer is relatively simple: Your creditors report information about you to the credit bureaus. When you pay on time, or if you are late, your lenders report that information. Your entire credit history and credit report depends on how creditors and others report to the credit bureaus, and that information can impact the way your financial reputation looks on paper. Here are a few areas to watch out for.
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When was the last time you attempted to repair instead of buying a new replacement?
Back in the day, my grandfather owned a tailor shop. He sold custom suits, pants and the like, but a big part of his business was actually in repair. His customers would routinely come in to get their garment fixed, like having the zipper repaired. Right next door was a shoe repair shop, and his business thrived. Customers would always go back to have their shoes re-polished, or have the sole of the shoe replaced. After he was done with your shoe, you could hardly tell it from a new one.
Things have changed through the years however. Repairing seems to have become an lost art. When was the last time you actually thought of getting something fixed instead of just buying a new one? Shoe repair shop? Do you even know where to find one anymore?
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