DIRECTIONS: Read the following and answer the questions?
http://www.americanenglishconversation.com
http://www.freeenglishconversation.blogspot.com/
http://grammar-help.blogspot.com/
http://freeenglishlessons-denise.blogspot.com/
It's amazing the lengths some people will go to save money. From sleeping in offices to following senior citizens to restaurants in order to find the best "early bird specials," these people will do almost anything to save a buck.
I Resell Vacuums Left on Curbs
Name: Quentin Lawrence
Hometown: Newport, R.I.
I make an extra $400 a year just from finding vacuum cleaners left on curbs in nearby neighborhoods -- and then selling them on Craigslist.
It started out when I would drive around and see all of these hings people leave outside their homes. I guess vacuum cleaners are just really popular to get rid of, because that's mostly what I found.
So I started stopping and looking to see what condition the vacuums were in, and it turns out usually they need nothing more than to be emptied out. Or, they have a belt that's broken, so I can just get a cheap belt and resell the vacuum for 25 to 30 bucks.
They move pretty quickly when I put them up on Craigslist, so it's an easy way to make a little income on the side. But since I can't fit a lot in my car right now, I'm actually in the process of getting a van. That way I can start picking up bigger items like furniture and make even more money.
We Started Raising Pigs
Name: Geoff Overland
Hometown: New Glarus, Wis.
We have become pig farmers.
We have never raised any animals (other than family pets) and we are not farmers, but we are now raising 13 pigs.
With the rising cost of food, it's becoming more and more challenging to provide good healthy food for our family.
By raising our own pork, we believe we will be able to produce meat for around $1.50 per pound instead of the $3.50 to $6.00 per pound we see at the store.
I Hit Up Fast Food Dollar Menus
Name: Shelley Parker
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
When I'm on the go or short on time, fast food dollar menus kill a lot of birds with one stone -- they're quick and convenient and can actually be relatively healthy.
I'll special order it and exclude the fatty add-ons. I like that the portion is smaller and not a big 'ol gut-bomb meal.
Some of my favorites are Sonic Jr.'s breakfast burrito (sans sausage), Wendy's baked potato with chili, or a Whopper Jr. (sans cheese and mayo).
I'm self-employed so I'm always out and about driving around. Usually when you do things on impulse and don't plan you make bad choices -- so I could end up spending $8 to $10 on any given meal. But with these dollar menus, you know exactly what you're getting -- and it costs a dollar.
I could skip a week, or maybe do it a couple times a week. Over the course of a year, I probably save more than $300.
I Became 'Quasi-Amish'
Name: Mike Hammack
Hometown: McLeansboro, Ill.
After going through a foreclosure and dealing with massive debt and stress before filing for bankruptcy, my wife and I wanted to start over. We moved to a 1974 junk mobile home at the end of a dead-end road in the middle of nowhere, in southern Illinois.
Our only bills now are water, cell phones, wireless Internet, electricity, auto and property insurance, and gas for my wife to drive to work and diesel for the farm equipment. Our total cost of living has dropped from $50,000-plus per year to less than $10,000.
Where once the food came from the store, now it comes from the garden and pasture. Now 75% of our electric use is solar.
My friends call me "quasi-Amish" because I'm so cheap nowadays I will often ride a horse to town before I will turn the key on my truck. My income went from $15,000 per year as a dishwasher at a restaurant to over $35,000 by selling eggs, chickens, goats and cows.
Moving to the middle of nowhere was a huge change, but the burden of the money pit house is gone and finally there is no financial stress. Sure, the mobile home looks [ugly], but it is completely remodeled inside and is actually nice. It also keeps the property taxes at $48 a year -- compared to $7,000 on our old house.
I Make My Kids Pay for Dinner
Name: John Snyder
Hometown: Boyne City, Mich.
On a recent family vacation, my wife and I decided that -- after the first night of eating out -- the rest of the nights each kid would pay half the bill.
The child whose turn it was to pay would also be able to choose the restaurant. So after a tab of $73 the first night (for a family of five), we moved on to Chick-fil-A the next night ($26 total), and pizza the night after that ($32, after using the coupon that my daughter found).
It was funny watching the kids act out, and say to each other, "You guys can share!" or "No, you're getting water!" -- the things I'm usually thinking while biting my tongue.
As parents you always hate to be the ogre saying: "You don't need that." So you just sit there and spend your money, but this made them do it themselves and it was fun for them, because it turned into kind of a game -- with all of them looking for coupons and special deals when it was their turn to pay.
Because of these discounts and how much pressure the kids put on each other to save money, we potentially saved at least $50 a night. A couple of our younger kids had to take out a loan from us for some of the dinners, but they'll be paying that back.
We'll continue doing this on vacations. We're going to a wedding in Wisconsin in July, and my five-year old got off free on the last vacation, so he probably owes us one.
It was funny watching the kids act out, and say to each other, "You guys can share!" or "No, you're getting water!" -- the things I'm usually thinking while biting my tongue?
We're going to a wedding in Wisconsin in July, and my five-year old got off free on the last vacation, so he probably owes us one?
http://www.americanenglishconversation.com
http://www.freeenglishconversation.blogspot.com/
http://grammar-help.blogspot.com/
http://freeenglishlessons-denise.blogspot.com/
It's amazing the lengths some people will go to save money. From sleeping in offices to following senior citizens to restaurants in order to find the best "early bird specials," these people will do almost anything to save a buck.
 Courtesy: Quentin Lawrence |
Name: Quentin Lawrence
Hometown: Newport, R.I.
I make an extra $400 a year just from finding vacuum cleaners left on curbs in nearby neighborhoods -- and then selling them on Craigslist.
So I started stopping and looking to see what condition the vacuums were in, and it turns out usually they need nothing more than to be emptied out. Or, they have a belt that's broken, so I can just get a cheap belt and resell the vacuum for 25 to 30 bucks.
They move pretty quickly when I put them up on Craigslist, so it's an easy way to make a little income on the side. But since I can't fit a lot in my car right now, I'm actually in the process of getting a van. That way I can start picking up bigger items like furniture and make even more money.
 Courtesy: Geoff Overland |
Name: Geoff Overland
Hometown: New Glarus, Wis.
We have become pig farmers.
We have never raised any animals (other than family pets) and we are not farmers, but we are now raising 13 pigs.
With the rising cost of food, it's becoming more and more challenging to provide good healthy food for our family.
By raising our own pork, we believe we will be able to produce meat for around $1.50 per pound instead of the $3.50 to $6.00 per pound we see at the store.
 Courtesy: Shelley Parker |
Name: Shelley Parker
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
When I'm on the go or short on time, fast food dollar menus kill a lot of birds with one stone -- they're quick and convenient and can actually be relatively healthy.
I'll special order it and exclude the fatty add-ons. I like that the portion is smaller and not a big 'ol gut-bomb meal.
Some of my favorites are Sonic Jr.'s breakfast burrito (sans sausage), Wendy's baked potato with chili, or a Whopper Jr. (sans cheese and mayo).
I'm self-employed so I'm always out and about driving around. Usually when you do things on impulse and don't plan you make bad choices -- so I could end up spending $8 to $10 on any given meal. But with these dollar menus, you know exactly what you're getting -- and it costs a dollar.
I could skip a week, or maybe do it a couple times a week. Over the course of a year, I probably save more than $300.
 Courtesy: Mike Hammack |
Name: Mike Hammack
Hometown: McLeansboro, Ill.
After going through a foreclosure and dealing with massive debt and stress before filing for bankruptcy, my wife and I wanted to start over. We moved to a 1974 junk mobile home at the end of a dead-end road in the middle of nowhere, in southern Illinois.
Our only bills now are water, cell phones, wireless Internet, electricity, auto and property insurance, and gas for my wife to drive to work and diesel for the farm equipment. Our total cost of living has dropped from $50,000-plus per year to less than $10,000.
Where once the food came from the store, now it comes from the garden and pasture. Now 75% of our electric use is solar.
My friends call me "quasi-Amish" because I'm so cheap nowadays I will often ride a horse to town before I will turn the key on my truck. My income went from $15,000 per year as a dishwasher at a restaurant to over $35,000 by selling eggs, chickens, goats and cows.
Moving to the middle of nowhere was a huge change, but the burden of the money pit house is gone and finally there is no financial stress. Sure, the mobile home looks [ugly], but it is completely remodeled inside and is actually nice. It also keeps the property taxes at $48 a year -- compared to $7,000 on our old house.
 Courtesy: John Snyder |
Name: John Snyder
Hometown: Boyne City, Mich.
On a recent family vacation, my wife and I decided that -- after the first night of eating out -- the rest of the nights each kid would pay half the bill.
The child whose turn it was to pay would also be able to choose the restaurant. So after a tab of $73 the first night (for a family of five), we moved on to Chick-fil-A the next night ($26 total), and pizza the night after that ($32, after using the coupon that my daughter found).
It was funny watching the kids act out, and say to each other, "You guys can share!" or "No, you're getting water!" -- the things I'm usually thinking while biting my tongue.
As parents you always hate to be the ogre saying: "You don't need that." So you just sit there and spend your money, but this made them do it themselves and it was fun for them, because it turned into kind of a game -- with all of them looking for coupons and special deals when it was their turn to pay.
Because of these discounts and how much pressure the kids put on each other to save money, we potentially saved at least $50 a night. A couple of our younger kids had to take out a loan from us for some of the dinners, but they'll be paying that back.
We'll continue doing this on vacations. We're going to a wedding in Wisconsin in July, and my five-year old got off free on the last vacation, so he probably owes us one.
It was funny watching the kids act out, and say to each other, "You guys can share!" or "No, you're getting water!" -- the things I'm usually thinking while biting my tongue?
We're going to a wedding in Wisconsin in July, and my five-year old got off free on the last vacation, so he probably owes us one?
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