Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 26 to 43 of 43

Thread: Survival skills

  1. #26
    God/dess ahmeerah's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Center of the World.
    Posts
    3,128
    Thanks
    66
    Thanked 82 Times in 51 Posts
    My Mood
    Breezy

    Default Re: Survival skills

    I grew up "privelged" but don't know much. I do a lot of guessing.

    Now, I DO invest, save, and have health insurance but let's not talk about taxes or credit scores. Yikes.

    I don't think I was raised to hold myself accountable for things. My future husband has got to know how to manage money for the the long haul. Or I need to just hire an accountant!

  2. #27
    Kaylinn
    Guest

    Default Re: Survival skills

    I don't think this has to do with if you grew up privilidged or not. It just has to do with how much your parents tried to teach you and prepare you for life outside their house. My parents didn't teach me crap. I knew nothign about surviving on my own, but I was thrown into it at 18 years old, and tried to learn as I went. I didn't do so good at it, and now at 26 I am going to file for bankruptcy. I think insurance is the most important thing I did not learn. Because at 18 year old, I didn't have it, and I didn't make enough at my job to pay into it, and I didn't know to make that at the top of my budget. Now I have well over 40grand in medical bills adding up from then to now.

  3. #28
    God/dess Will's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Boston-ish
    Posts
    2,328
    Thanks
    278
    Thanked 505 Times in 289 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie View Post
    my survival skills are now coming from a different angle

    - raising my own garden plants from seeds
    - growing a lot of my own food instead of buying it
    - canning / preserving the food I have grown

    ... fortunately, my own grandmother had taught me some of this before she died, and she left me a lot of helpful instruction 'notes' as well as a lot of the necessary 'tools'.
    Those are great survival skills too! So when do I get a jar of those preserves?
    A cunning linguist...

  4. #29
    God/dess Will's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Boston-ish
    Posts
    2,328
    Thanks
    278
    Thanked 505 Times in 289 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by ArmySGT. View Post
    Budget using MS Excel.

    Make a list of all your bills and let Excel auto sum.

    Include savings into your bills, so it reads as an expense and you don't miss it. Some banks have automatic deductions for things like certificates of deposits (CDs). CDs are great because your money is on hold for 6 months or longer but makes much more interest.

    Find a CPA, and ask their advice. Be honest.
    I have noticed the CD rates are pretty bad these days. I have not been using them as my MM makes almost as much and I have access to the $$ when ever I want. On second thought, that may not be good for some here...
    A cunning linguist...

  5. #30
    Pamela
    Guest

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Survival skills. I know i have written here already. But i have to say they start with US! WE have to learn how to take care of our bodies and remain healthy so we can live!
    Many good books out there about health tips. I think we all should own one. WE can't invest or work if our bodies break down.


  6. #31
    God/dess Will's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Boston-ish
    Posts
    2,328
    Thanks
    278
    Thanked 505 Times in 289 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by Pamela View Post
    Survival skills. I know i have written here already. But i have to say they start with US! WE have to learn how to take care of our bodies and remain healthy so we can live!
    Many good books out there about health tips. I think we all should own one. WE can't invest or work if our bodies break down.

    With that said, it's a good place for me to remind y'all of my article on fitness for dancers, which can help with taking care of your money making asset and your well being:

    http://www.stripperweb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46456

    That article was actually how I ended up at SW, much to the displeasure of some....
    A cunning linguist...

  7. #32
    Banned Katrine's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    13,855
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by Will View Post
    I have noticed the CD rates are pretty bad these days. I have not been using them as my MM makes almost as much and I have access to the $$ when ever I want. On second thought, that may not be good for some here...
    Money market rates are not guaranteed, and will continue to slide as the yield curve normalizes. You will see crap for short-term rates, cash and CD's. This will take a little time though....

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

  8. #33
    God/dess Will's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Boston-ish
    Posts
    2,328
    Thanks
    278
    Thanked 505 Times in 289 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by Katrine View Post
    Money market rates are not guaranteed, and will continue to slide as the yield curve normalizes. You will see crap for short-term rates, cash and CD's. This will take a little time though....
    That is true about the MM, but I must say, the rates have been decent for a while, and for at best 1% extra for the CD (at least from what I have been seeing at my bank) I prefer access to the $$$, but your comments make perfect sense. Of course, I don't put all my $$$ in a MM, so I am saying that in the context of a balanced spread.
    A cunning linguist...

  9. #34
    Banned ArmySGT.'s Avatar
    Joined
    May 2005
    Location
    SW Counter Troll HQ
    Posts
    5,582
    Thanks
    1,589
    Thanked 1,674 Times in 1,043 Posts
    Blog Entries
    13
    My Mood
    Amused

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by SundayMorning View Post

    ArmySGT, I lurve Excel and have already set up my 2008 predicted budget on it. Excel is one of the random things that give me joy in life, and I hope I can use it to conquer my irrational phobia of Moneyspeak. Thank you, it's a good suggestion.
    Budgets


    Various Planners. (most are not financial) There are other helpful kinds.


    Check book ledger


    Credit card log

  10. #35
    God/dess leilanicandy's Avatar
    Joined
    Aug 2005
    Location
    where they like American Boys
    Posts
    2,111
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by madmaxine View Post
    ^



    I grew up pathetically poor with a lazy, crazy mother and a poor but wise dad. I refuse to be poor. Fuck that shit. I feel like Scarlett O'Hara when she vows to God she'll never be hungry again...
    Gee I love that movie" Gone with the wind".
    If you want the present to be differant from the past, study the past.
    Baruch Spindza

    It is what it is, not what you want it to become, that's important -- at least for now. Today, remember that things worth having are worth waiting for!
    The Stars

    Minds are like parachutes: They only function when open.
    Thomas Dewar

    Dont throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water.
    Swedish Proverb

  11. #36
    Banned ArmySGT.'s Avatar
    Joined
    May 2005
    Location
    SW Counter Troll HQ
    Posts
    5,582
    Thanks
    1,589
    Thanked 1,674 Times in 1,043 Posts
    Blog Entries
    13
    My Mood
    Amused

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post
    This advice is way to vague for someone with zero financial knowledge. I know, because I budgeted myself into bankruptcy in 1993. She needs to start from square one, and that is gaining an understanding of what exactly money is and isn't.
    Ouch! That stung a bit, truth does that though. Vagueness can't be helped though. Since i have never met the OP and really can't assess what is known and not. Why not Finance for Dummies?

    Easy read, basic stuff? *shrugs*


    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post
    My parents did their best to help me with my finances and understanding of how to handle money. But they were dead wrong on every bit of advice they gave me. I was taught such fine skills as:

    *Always keep a credit card in case of emergencies
    *Pay the minimum balance only on loans and credit cards so that I have more cash on hand for month to month expenses
    *Savings is good if you have a lot of money to invest, otherwise stuffing money in a piggy bank is better until then.
    The credit card isn't such a bad idea, it just needs to come with a dose of self control. Curb your endorphins.

    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post
    Seriously. My parents are financial idiots. No wonder I ended up bankrupt by the age of 23. They came from a different era, though. They both have nice pensions from their jobs. They have always had medical insurance from their employers. They will have social security and medicare to supplement them in their old age.
    The world changed to fast for many People to adapt.

    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post
    Oh, and I plan on eventually providing for their housing and other needs when they are too old to live alone.
    Mine would rather die than live in a assisted living facility, (old folks home). So we could all be in this boat.

  12. #37
    God/dess colleen's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2004
    Location
    South Chicago Suburbs
    Posts
    2,059
    Thanks
    11
    Thanked 139 Times in 62 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    I didn't grow up especially privileged or otherwise. I was the only child of a salesman and a housewife. However, my mom didn't teach me jack shit because she is so emotionally stunted herself, that she still cannot bear to see me as anything other than a baby. The last useful thing my mother taught me was how to tie my shoes. After that, she told me that knowledge is power, and did her best to keep me from getting much of either. My dad taught me a bit about sales, and might be spinning in his grave to know what I am doing with that knowledge. Then again, besides a regular business to business salesman, he was a part time gambler and pool hustler. He did what he had to, to feed my mom and me, and I guess I learned that attitude form him. It has served me well.

    Other than that, everything I know, I learned myself. I got that attitude from my grandma, who taught herself all sorts of amazing things. I learned from books, from other people, from the Army, from college, (Paid by me with a little help from my friend, Uncle Sam) and from finding out the hard way. Now I am independent to a fault. I really really believe there is nothing I can't do, if only I have a good enough book on the subject.

    Like Melanie, I am into growing, preserving, and preparing my own food. (Pamela, just an aside: Jam is about as difficult as you want it to be. If you want, PM me. I have some super easy fruit-butter recipes.) I can also fix my own car (thank you Chilton's), perform first aid as well as an EMT (used to have a license, thank you National Guard), and educate my own child (not as hard as you'd think.)

    Upon reflection, I think all this need to be independent is really a need to control my world. Not that that is a bad thing. But my point, if I had one, is this:

    You can learn anything you set out to learn. The most important things to know are, (1) where to find the information and (2) how to use it.


    My MySpace Page:


    When you perform... you are out of yourself--larger and more potent, more beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth. And it is yours, nightly.

    --Agnes De Mille

  13. #38
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    1,128
    Thanks
    96
    Thanked 43 Times in 21 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    My parents did not prepare me at all, i was extremely sheltered and naive, though i would not consider that i was particualrly priviledged. i grew up hearing about my dad supposedly making a good living, while at the same time complaining tht he didn't have enough money. It seems that a lot of money was wasted on who knows what, since neither parent was able to explain where all the money went. When i found myself homeless a wek after my 18th birthday, all i knew was that i had to find shelter and a job. By alternating sleeping on people's couches, floors, and garages for free i was able to save to buy a very cheap old car which became my home. From that point on until i began stripping, life consisted of periods of living in the car, occasionally having an apartment, or staying with random people. i never got in debt, but only because after seeing my dad get in debt i told myself i would never let that happen. To this day i am credit card free. i also obsess over saving money. However, i dont have any kind of insurance except for car insurance.

  14. #39
    Banned Katrine's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    13,855
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post

    Oh, and I plan on eventually providing for their housing and other needs when they are too old to live alone.
    Paris, you might want to look into Long-term care insurance for your parents. It will provide for a professional caretaker to come help them out, or for assisted living home costs, etc....

    Not sure if its right for you, but something to consider. I'm trying to get my parents to sign up for it because I know I'll be covering their massive medical bills down the line. They do not take care of themselves.

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

  15. #40
    God/dess scarlett_vancouver's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Vancouver, BC
    Posts
    6,699
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 22 Times in 20 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    My mum prepared me well. They both did, but it was my mum's influence above all that made me have my shit together.

    I remember being 8 or so and feeling anxiety, being totally overwhelmed at the amount of stuff my mum had to do to keep our lives running smoothly...and thinking I'd never be able to understand how to plan a trip or keep accounts in order or whatever.

    I think I learned by watching...if my mum had had crap habits, I probably would too.

    Feature costumes for sale!

  16. #41
    Banned All Good Things's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    2,451
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 601 Times in 233 Posts
    My Mood
    Daring

    Default Re: Survival skills

    OK, so you asked.

    I am the product of this odd mix of astonishingly poor white trash and horrific alcohol-induced fits of abuse, manipulation and insanity.

    My first lesson in survival skills was learning how to physically protect the girls; my three sisters. By high school, my stepfather knew better than to go after my face because I could drop that SOB so hard that I felt safe turning my back on him while he lay there out cold on the floor. What a useless piece of shit that man was. I would have killed him outright, but I knew a felony rap was not going to look good on my Georgetown application. It seriously was the only reason I didn't just off the fucker.

    I later learned how to do it oh so much more efficiently, and silently, but that is another story altogether.

    When I was in group therapy in Washington 10 years later, the stories of my insane home life reduced a sitting federal court judge, an accomplished accountant and a criminal defense attorney to abject sobs.

    My parents turned out to be excellent role models for financial success. I knew that if I were ever to become successful, I would need to do everything in precisely the opposite way that they had done.

    That didn't stop them from trying to sabotage me before I could even get there, though. Once I was working while in high school, they refused to pay for anything, even my basic medical or dental care, clothing, travel expenses; pretty much anything beyond food (which was erratic) and board (which vanished regularly).

    They paid nothing toward any higher education at all. I bought absolutely everything myself before I left for college -- I paid the application fee, all my testing fees, my plane tickets, all my clothes, all room & board costs, tuition, every single thing I had or needed, aided substantially by partial scholarships that the university gave me. This went on for the entire four years and even included my year in Russia.

    It was baptism by fire. I knew that I was playing with no net, and if I fell, I would make a great big splat on the floor and there would be nobody to sympathize -- it would just end up irritating the people who had to clean it up.

    The thing about playing with no net is that if you survive, you will have learned to play extremely well. Otherwise, you would just be dead. That happened often enough around me -- usually rich kids who OD'd or drove their new BMW off a bridge or dropped out because they thought class was optional and ended up in an alcohol-induced coma -- that I knew that substantial financial success was actually the exception, not the rule, even at an exclusive university. This is one of those dirty little secrets nobody tells you. $150,000 in debt can be impossible to work off unless you are the radiology attending at a major university hospital.

    Five years out, it was the pro athletes, the people who went into daddy's business and those of us in high-level government service who eventually started our own companies that were on the way to financial stability. Everybody else was hopelessly in debt or grinding away in grad school or trying to hold everything together with the help of their relatives and parents, including those who had simply moved back in with them.

    The lesson, I suppose, is that there really is no easy road to success. No magic university ticket, no automatic ride to the top. In fact, the notion that coming from money means you will be successful with money is so fundamentally flawed that the opposite is more likely to be true. If you come from money, you are more likely to end up in the back alley with the Eurotrash, trying desperately to reach your daddy's accountant on your dead cell phone.

  17. #42
    God/dess Deogol's Avatar
    Joined
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    5,493
    Thanks
    120
    Thanked 50 Times in 35 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    Nothing like not having any money that teaches ya how to go make it, that's for sure.

  18. #43
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    879
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Survival skills

    I'm 21 and I haven't really learned much regarding investments. But I think I'm pretty smart about managing things in that I never go into debt, am good with bills/calling companies, getting cards in order an such. But I could be doing a lot more, probably. I'd say my parents were about the same. They never went way off into severely irresponsible waters, but not stellar either...particularly with long-term investments/planning.

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Similar Threads

  1. Survival of the fittest
    By tempest666 in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 12-02-2008, 10:36 PM
  2. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-06-2008, 07:12 AM
  3. PMS Survival Tips
    By gameover in forum General Board
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 03-31-2007, 06:51 AM
  4. survival of the richest
    By miss marina in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-31-2006, 06:49 PM
  5. Survival Tips
    By MojoJojo in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-24-2005, 08:26 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •