MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice | How the Second ...

Do you buy used stuff? I do, and I?m proud of the thousands of dollars I?ve saved buying someone else?s refuse. I love to score deals using a variety of methods (haggling is a personal favorite), but the biggest reason I?ve been able to save so much money is because of The Second-Hand Snob.

The Second-Hand Snob wrinkles their nose at buying anything used, cringes at the thought of being seen at a thrift store, and gags just thinking about the time they unknowingly coveted someone else?s thrift store find.

The rejection of purchasing second-hand is a huge reason why the prices on used items can be so low, typically no more than 50 percent of the original price. It?s simple supply and demand: there are fewer people interested in buying used than people selling used items.

Thank you to all the Second-Hand Snobs of the world ? you have saved me thousands of dollars. Please, I beg you, hold onto your fear of everything that doesn?t come in shiny new packaging. It sure makes being the Bargain Babe a heck of a lot easier!

Here are the best 10 used items I?ve bought ? and how much money I saved.

Medela breast pump

A basic electronic dual pump runs about $300. I got mine for $20 off Craigslist. I was actually shopping for a changing table for my nursery, but the seller offered to throw in the top-rated Medela breast pump for an extra $20. Sold!

Savings: $280

2003 Mini Cooper

I purchased my Mini Cooper for $15,500 in January ?07 when it was still under warranty instead of splurging for a new model. Buying a used car made owning a Mini Cooper within reach because new models were running $25,000 and up at the time.

Savings: $9,500

Filing cabinet

When my husband and I combined households, we decided to merge our filing systems, too. We wanted a lateral, two-drawer filing cabinet.

Used wood filing cabinets are extremely rare in our area, so we settled for a second-hand metal one for $25 instead of purchasing a new one at an office supply store for $369.

Savings: $344.

Bicycle

My love of cycling dates back to high school, when I took long bike rides on the weekend with my father to get out of gym class (at a broke public school, this was the only way I could take a language and band.)

As an adult, I wanted a racing bike for triathlons and screaming down the mountains of Los Angeles County. I lucked out on Craigslist, where I found an avid cyclist who was selling off his collection of bikes to get knee surgery.

I snapped up his blue Felt T23 with 150 miles on it for $850. Just two years earlier he had paid $1,800 for it.

Savings: $950

Cashmere blend sweater

I hate itchy sweaters. I like to be warm. So grabbing a J.Crew cashmere-merino wool turtleneck for $22 at a local thirft store was a no-brainer.

Savings: $100.

15? Macbook Pro

I?m lucky enough to have a friend who upgrades his computer often and was willing to sell me his ?old? laptop for ($750 + $43 shipping) a fraction of what he paid (about $1,700).

He also left his software on the laptop, so now I have access to dozens of top-quality programs that would not have been included with a brand new PC.

Savings: $950

High chair

We are old-fashioned granola parents who make our own organic baby food, put our baby in cloth diapers, and surround her with wooden toys.

Like her toys, we also wanted a wooden high chair. I called every baby consignment store in the state (luckily, I live in the smallest one) until I found one for only $25.

Savings: $60

Art

Instead of buying new artwork, I made a beautiful display from a family heirloom: a quilt my great-grandmother made from old feed sacks. All I had to buy was a curtain rod from Home Depot for $25.

Savings: Hundreds of dollars

Foyer table

I picked up a small table to drop keys and wallets in our foyer for just $5 at a garage sale. While the baby slept, I refinished the table in only a few hours!

The table is not high quality, but with a new paint job, looks tres shabby chic.

Savings: $90

Wedding shoes

Normally I shy away from buying used shoes, but when I spotted a practically new pair of silver Seychelles heels for $35, I couldn?t resist. Plus, they went perfectly with my wedding dress.

Savings: $55

My total savings from these nine items alone comes to $12,329.

What do you like to buy used?

Julia Scott?s blog BargainBabe.com has the best curated freebies on the web.

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Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/how-the-second-hand-snob-saved-me-thousands-on-these-10-items-1012/

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Springsteen, Jay-Z, put the pop in Obama rally

Singer Bruce Springsteen performs before the start of a campaign event for President Barack Obama near the State Capitol Building in Madison, Wis., Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Singer Bruce Springsteen performs before the start of a campaign event for President Barack Obama near the State Capitol Building in Madison, Wis., Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Bruce Springsteen and his wife wife Patti Scialfa are followed by press pool media members as they deplane off the back of Air Force One at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, as they traveled with President Barack Obama to a campaign event at Nationwide Arena. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama is joined on stage by singer Bruce Springsteen during a campaign event near the State Capitol Building in Madison, Wis., Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama, accompanied by singer Bruce Springsteen, waves as he arrive at a campaign event near the State Capitol Building in Madison, Wis., Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama stands with singer Bruce Springsteen as he arrives to speak at a campaign event, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Someone has to introduce the president.

On Monday, the final day of the presidential campaign, President Barack Obama, however, didn't bring along an opening act. He brought along two main acts.

Bruce Springsteen. Jay-Z. Theirs wasn't an introduction, it was pop culture moment.

The Boss was spending the entire day with Obama, traveling on Air Force One from Madison, Wis., to Columbus, Ohio, and then to Des Moines, Iowa, where Obama planned a coda for his campaign, a finale where his run for the presidency began five years ago.

Jay-Z boomed his way into Columbus's Nationwide Arena, performing a rendition of his hit "99 Problems" with a political twist for a crowd estimated by fire officials at more than 15,000 people. He changed a key R-rated word to make his own political endorsement. "I got 99 problems but Mitt ain't one," he sang.

"They tell the story of what our country is," Obama said of the two performers, "but also of what it should be and what it can be."

Springsteen added a whole new sense of vigor, even giddiness, to the Obama entourage, with many of the president's aides and advisers clearly star-struck by the rocker's presence.

Springsteen, in jeans, black boots, a work shirt, vest and leather jacket, was not wearing the typical Air Force One attire. But the Obama camp has left formality aside; many aides are growing beards through Election Day and ties have been left behind in favor of sweaters for the chilly outdoor events during the last hours of the campaign.

Asked if there was any downside to using celebrity glitz instead of substance to drive voters to the polls in the final days, Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki laughed. "I think Bruce Springsteen might be offended by you calling him glitzy," she said.

"Bruce Springsteen, and some other celebrities who have been helping us, reach a broad audience that sometimes tune out what's being said by politicians," she said.

As Psaki spoke to reporters at the back of the plane, Obama was up front and on the phone with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie discussing the recovery from Superstorm Sandy. Christie, who says he has attended more than 100 Springsteen concerts, said Obama then handed the phone to Springsteen, a New Jersey native whose songs often have been tributes to his youth in the state.

Upon landing in Columbus, Springsteen told a reporter that it was his first trip on Air Force One. Grinning, he said: "It was pretty cool." As for New Jersey, he said "I'm feeling pretty hopeful" that the state's hard-hit shore will recover

In Madison and Columbus, Springsteen serenaded audiences with renditions of top anthems "No Surrender," ''Promised Land," and "Land of Hope and Dreams." But he also has a custom made campaign song named after the Obama motto "Forward" - "Not the best I've ever written."

"How many things rhyme with Obama?" he asked.

Obama, no doubt, didn't mind.

"I'm going to be fine with Bruce Springsteen on the last day that I'll ever campaign," he said above the din of the crowd.

"That's not a bad way to bring it home. With The Boss. With The Boss"

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-05-Obama-Springsteen/id-11c81a64ab0e4a59bcf29f5e93e2228f

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The Retail Industry Supports Romney - Business Insider

Mario Tama/Getty Images Shoppers walk down Broadway in Manhattan.

Retail is one of the biggest industry sectors of the United States, representing 42 million jobs.

The National Retail Federation has made it clear who it believes would be the better president, and it's Romney.

The NRF's beef with Obama is primarily over the Affordable Care Act. When the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare over the summer, the organization said it was "dismayed" because the new regulations would mean doom for many retailers.

The Affordable Care Act requires that all individuals must purchase health insurance. Employers with more than 50 full time employees must provide health care coverage or pay a fine.

When Obamacare was upheld, the NRF said that the regulations would mostly hurt smaller businesses who can't afford healthcare premiums.

?Congress set out to make health care more accessible by making it more affordable," CEO Matthew Shay said in July. "Instead, what we may well get is a perfect storm of unintended consequences that drives up costs so high that many companies likely will be forced to cut back their payrolls."

Romney has said he would repeal the Affordable Care Act and empower smaller businesses to enter purchasing pools in order to provide healthcare.

The Republican candidate also supports lowering the corporate tax rate to 25 percent. Meanwhile, Obama wants to eliminate many loopholes that help retailers save money and would lower to corporate tax rate to 28 percent.?

While the retail industry might support Romney, the fashion world is a different story.

The majority of fashion campaign contributions went to Obama, Women's Wear Daily reported.

DON'T MISS: Why The Fashion Industry Wrongly Snubs Ann Romney >

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-retail-industry-supports-romney-2012-11

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Elderly face challenges coping with Sandy's impact - KTTC ...

By FRANK ELTMAN
Associated Press

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) - Eileen James sits by the window when the sun is out, wears gloves to bed and hasn't had a hot meal in a week.

Like many elderly people in the New York area coping with no electricity or heat in their homes in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the 78-year-old retired secretary confesses she's "starting to get less and less patient."

Health care officials, social workers and other volunteers are paying close attention to the elderly in the days since Sandy left millions in the dark throughout metropolitan New York and New Jersey. While some say life experiences have tempered the ability of the region's oldest residents to cope with the immensity of the destruction, others note signs that the stress of no electricity, displacement from their homes and upheaval from their daily routines is beginning to take a toll.

"When the sun is out, I gravitate to where it is coming in through a window and I sit there," James said Saturday as temperatures hovered in the high 40s. "I took my thermometer with me and it went up six degrees, and I felt a little warmer."

She said she has considered driving east to a daughter's home, but prefers to remain local so she can vote in the presidential election on Tuesday.

The situation is the same for thousands throughout the region.

At Comstock Court, a subsidized apartment building for senior citizens in Asbury Park, N.J., residents were given fliers on Friday informing them about free hot meals being served 10 blocks away.

Several said they were unable to make the trek even though their food has spoiled.

"I'm not walking over there. That's too far for me. My knees can't take it," said Pam Grove, 75.

Two utility poles were down behind the building and a snapped electrical wire was lying in the street half a block away.

Tenants had running water and were using their gas stoves to stay warm.

"It's dangerous, but if you don't turn your stove on, you've got pneumonia," said 72-year-old Rudolph Graham, the president of the tenants association.

Karen Boorshtein, president and CEO of Long Island's Family Service League, said the group has been monitoring nursing homes and reaching out through social workers to check on the elderly in their homes.

"We're making sure patients' needs are being met; if they need to be evacuated that they are evacuated," Boorshtein said. The workers also stay in contact with patients' relatives "to make sure there are no concerns with their loved ones in the nursing homes."

Suffolk County's Office of Aging reached out to 725 seniors before the storm to warn them to prepare, said county spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter. When Sandy passed, the office sent teams to the homes of residents who couldn't be reached by telephone and by Friday afternoon, all had been accounted for, she said. Some were provided with extra blankets and food while others were taken to Red Cross shelters.

Dr. Marie Genevieve-Iselin, a psychologist specializing in elder care at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, said many of her patients have fared well.

"On the whole they are very resilient," she said, adding that older adults generally tend to cope well. "They have had other crises in their lives that they have been able to master and it gives them a road map."

Dr. Gisele Wolf-Klein, director of Geriatric Education at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, said older dementia patients were among those facing the greatest challenges. "Some of those who care for the elderly were unable to get to their homes because of their own transportation issues," Wolf-Klein said. That meant some older patients were "left alone without any help and that becomes a major, major problem."

She said some patients required changes in their medication, while others were temporarily placed in elder care facilities to be treated for heightened anxiety.

Up the street from Eileen James' home in Farmingdale, Mike Katz, a 73-year-old retired advertising executive said the chilly temperatures, dipping into the mid-30s overnight, are most troublesome for him and his wife.

"We're coping pretty good, but it's very cold," he said as he raked leaves strewn from Sandy's storm. "I knew it was going to be bad. And it was."

Katz said despite initial predictions that power would be restored in seven to 10 days, he was not optimistic. "I think it's going to be almost 20 days. Ten days would be wonderful, but there really are a lot of things to clean up."

Island Harvest, a Long Island-based food bank, dispatched a fleet of 11 trucks to various locations, giving out sandwiches and drinks. President and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner said she has seen many seniors at the trucks.

She encountered a woman on Friday outside the Point Lookout firehouse, whom she described as a "younger senior, in her late 50s."

"She just had this forlorn look," Dresner said. The woman would not tell Dresner what had happened to her.

"She didn't even know what to ask for. And when I said, 'What can I give you, what can we help you with?' she just was shaking her head and holding back tears. Then she asked, 'How about a hug?'"

"She grabbed me and she gave me this hug and she didn't want to let go. And when she let go she said, 'That's what I needed more than anything.'"

"They're just feeling alone and they're struggling."

___

Associated Press Writer Ben Nuckols in Asbury Park, N.J., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.kttc.com/story/19997827/elderly-face-challenges-coping-with-sandys-impact

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House for Sale: West Des Moines Real Estate Listing Offers a ...

New on the market and priced at $279,900 is a 5-bedroom, 4-bath home built in 1997 at 4718 Fieldstone Drive, according to Aol Real Estate.?The 2,121-square-foot house sits on .31 of an acre.

Brokered by Keller Williams Realty, the sunny and spacious two-story home features a formal dining room and a bump-out window at the kitchen sink that overlooks the enormous low profile deck and evergreen lined private back yard.

The master bedroom features wall sized window ? no lack of light here! It also has a walk-in closet & full bath that features double sinks and a soaking tub.

The house is in the West Des Moines Community School District and it?s half a mile from Jordan Creek Elementary School. Taxes on the property in 2011 were $4,364.

About 100 West Des Moines single-family homes are listed on Aol Real Estate with price points for every buyer.

Source: http://westdesmoines.patch.com/articles/new-west-des-moines-real-estate-listing-offers-a-master-suite-with-a-view

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Raw Pumpkin Pie Bites | Active Vegetarian, Nutrition and Fitness ...

I?m sure you?re wondering if these truly taste like pumpkin pie? Yes, absolutely. But you can enjoy them without any guilt They?re pretty awesome, actually. Give them a try??

Ingredients

• 1 cup of raw cashews
• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup medjool dates
• 1/4 pumpkin, puree (you can used canned)
• 2 TB extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 TB pumpkin spice
• 1 1/2 TB maple syrup
• pinch of sea salt
• hand full?of coconut, granola,?pumpkin?seeds for rolling (optional)

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Instructions

• Using a food processor, process the cashews and oats to a fine meal. Add the pumpkin spice and salt and pulse to combine.
• Finally, add the dates, pumpkin pure, coconut oil and maple syrup and pulse until well incorporated. The mixture should stick together when pressed between two fingers.
• Roll the mixture into equally sized balls (I used a tablespoon measure) and roll with topping of your choice
• Place truffles in the fridge or freezer to firm up before serving.

talk soon

Zuzana

Source: http://www.activevegetarian.com/raw-pumpkin-pie-bites

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Information About The Environmental Ethic - News and Society ...

Human beings are considered to be the commonly able species living on earth, And perhaps, this why it is the single species on earth which has civilized itself ended the decades to a generous boundary. The ethics behind the environmental injustice experience in the planet is apt more and more solidly debated. There are several dynamics which make on to environmental ethics so tiresome and lone is advent to a universal understanding of what has regard. In the article below I will give you more information of environmental ethic.

Cutting down trees pro our own benefit, not bothering in this area persons animals which are dependent on theses trees, using fossil fuels erratically, industrialization, pollution, unsettling ecological balance all these are attributable to creature activities. Just since we possess abundant natural assets does not mean that we can aid them in our own way and not keep whatever thing pro the prospect generations.

Next is Deontologism which focuses on responsibility your duty as a creature. There is plainly merit in this ethical framework but the regards to environmental ethics solely like virtue ethics at this time are obvious holes. Consequentialism is making a moral discrimination based on the penalty of a particular proceedings very than the intentions behind the proceedings itself. This is why Consequentialism edges made renowned the other ethical frameworks as the most excellent ethical framework in which to promote environmental friendly actions.

Industrialization has agreed way to pollution and ecological imbalance. If an industry is causing such conundrum, it is not single the duty of with the aim of industry but all the animal being to make on to up pro the losses. If you want more people have the environmental thinking, you can try to find a website hosting company that can give you web hosting services. With hosting service, you can have a website and use the website to promote your environmental thinking.

Source: http://www.gongyifair.org/information-about-the-environmental-ethic.html

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Source: http://commercialism-compounded.blogspot.com/2012/11/information-about-environmental-ethic.html

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Source: http://princefloyd.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/information-about-the-environmental-ethic-news-and-society.html

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