I found a computer at the thrift store for $40!

• I found a computer at the thrift store for $40! - frugal mom

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I haven't read through all the replies, so forgive me if this is a duplicate answer.  Find a computer repair store in your town.  Many times they will take off Vista and reload XP - for a cost, certainly, but it can be done.

Vista isn't bad, it's just that there is so much out there that is not compatible with it yet.  It's a pain, to be sure.

My next computer is going to be a Mac.

I first hit our local thrift store when my dear mom was in a nursing facility with Alzheimer's.  She'd just forget where she "folded and put her clothes away" or the laundry would lose some.  So, I was able to buy mom many beautiful blouses/tops, dresses for way too cheap.  Usually walked out of there with 5-6 complete outfits under $20.00.

She's gone now, but in her memory, I still do my shopping stints there, then haul it over to the nursing home for those residents who don't have family, it truly helps me more than it helps them.

I do auctions.  I try to be very careful about what I list.  I love books and have in the thousands of them, mostly educational material.  I have been selling those on half.com for a long time, so my time listed as a member is about 6 years.  It has only been in the last couple of months that I really started trying to power sell--everything you can think of--collectibles, books, clothes, my felt sets, shoes, etc.  You just have to watch the market and know that what you list will sell (hopefully) so that you don't lose money in fees.  I am still learning, but so far I have been very lucky and have made some good sales.

Lynn

the scout ants will carry back to their nest(?) and eradicate the entire colony.  What I used was a product that was a small, enclosed tin thing with a hole in top.  It held a poisonous gel.  I think there were 3 in a box.  Sorry, can't remember the name.  Anyway, I never saw ants in the house since using these. 

advertising homemade pies, cakes, breads etc.  A lot of the famous and rich people in this type of industry started off this way.  I think it isn't that big, at least not in the smaller cities, but we have people that come into your home, plan a menu with you and then cook so many meals a week.  There is also a business that just started near me where you go to their store, they have all the makings for 6 different meals and you just put them all together.   One place has cooking lessons for kids and also opens to kids cookie parties and he is doing very well.   Work with a caterer prn.   I live in a city of about 230,000 and we have events that are seasonal where caterers are hiring dozens of people, with June coming up they will be hiring to help with weddings.

I know lots of people with psychology degrees and none of them are working in their field because there just aren't any jobs. 

You don't mention a husband or kids, but if you are young and no responsibilities now is the time to go out on the limb. 

None of the above would require a huge time commitment or financial commitment and you could test the waters while still having a FT income.  If it took off you could scale back your hours, or try and do both for a while and get your debts paid off and then be in a position to jump in with both feet.

Our local community college has a culinary program.  I think it is still largely male dominated, but still lots of females too.   I don't know if this is a 1 year or 2 year program, though I think it does require a lot of hours.  You could do it during the day and work nights/weekends.  It wouldn't be easy, but nights/weekends usually pay more.

If you want it bad enough you'll find a way.  

They have several models and you can compare features and play around with them, and also ask questions.   One is about as good as the other.   Each brand has had lemons.  Most all have pretty much the same bells and whistles.  It just depends on what you want.

If you are going to use for leisure like downloading music, uploading pictures, are you going to use for work, etc. 

I have a dumb question - Just bought a new computer and someone told me to get a flash drive to transfer all my info.  But I'm assuming that ExText that I work off of and Escription will have to be downloaded again by the tech people onto my new computer.  I can tranfer these can I?

Thanks

I should know this, but I just don't remember how to do this.  I am hoping I have enough RAM, or whatever, to load work platform on my own computer and begin working on it, rather than paying *rent* on the company-furnished computer.  Thanks so much.

The kids were fooling around in the parking lot and chasing each other around.  One of the boys, who was approximately 10 years old, jumped up and ran across the hood of a parked car in his cowboy boots.  He totally scratched up and dinged the hood of the car.  The owner, a pastor at a local church, told the parents about it.  The father denied it, then he tried to hit the pastor.  The police were called.  I took the car license number and testified as a witness.  These people are just a prime example of the poor excuses for parents that our country is full of.  The parents should have been publicly caned.

My parents would have beat my butt with a leather belt if I had dared touch someone else's property.  They never had to, though, because they told us how to behave and enforced it.  I'm not saying I never got spanked with a hand when I was young, but I knew it was a potential consequence.  My own kids know if they dare to damage someone else's property, they will pay for the repairs and be punished.  They are too old to spank, however, especially since they're bigger than me!  LOL  My kids also know what it's like to have their property stolen or damaged by other people.

These really work for me--ingredients below

Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, citric acid, taurine, natural flavors, sodium citrate, l-carnitine, panax ginseng root extract, ascorbic acid, caffeine, sodium chloride, niacinamide, riboflavin, guarana seed extract, inositol, glucuronalactone, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanobalmin.

This got buried on the second page, but I pointed out that Bounty paper towels are more at Walmart than my local grocer.  Someone replied back saying that overall the grocery store is more.  Nope.  This is my reply:

The paper towel price increase is not a momentary thing.  I started comparing prices a few years ago between Walmart and the grocery store.  I used to buy food at the grocery store and everything else at Walmart.  Until Walmart got to be just as expensive or MORE expensive in some cases than the grocery store.  It is NOT just paper towels.  Same with Era detergent.  Same with a multitude of other products.  Walmart has gotten GREEDY.

Now I clip coupons for the paper goods, cleaners and what not and the grocery store doubles any coupons 50 cents or less (I don't use them if they don't double).  So with the prices being less than Walmart to begin with, plus using coupons, I come out WAY ahead.  So I don't even make a Walmart trip at all anymore.  Might as well just buy everything at the grocery store.  It's closer, more convenient, and CHEAPER.