How to Make Money Doing Side Hustles
In order to make a decent living, most people cannot live on one income, and sadly, not even two. The economy is at an all time low, the housing and car markets are in the middle of a crisis, credit is hard to find and keep, and even low income families are having a hard time finding government assistance. It is time to find new ways to make money.
Remember the old saying, “don’t put all your eggs into one basket?” Most of the rich and famous usually have a diversified portfolio of income. Many have tapped into ways of making money aside from their main flow of income. The rich and famous know that in order to stay in the game, you have to ensure that the flow of money is continuous. For example, Steve Harvey, a well known comedian, has had his own tv show, has his own clothing line, a radio program, a recently published a book, and still tours the country doing stand up comedy shows. Kimora Lee Simmons is the star of her own reality show, has a very successful clothing line, modeling career, as well as a profitable perfume. Musicians and singers are tapping into their acting skills with the understanding that the music industry is volatile. But when you look at your life and the state of the current economy, isn’t life itself volatile these days? For those who seek longevity and stability, diversity is how you create a continuous flow of income and is key to survival in the future. While your primary source of income should always be a steady paycheck, there are several “side hustles” that can increase your income and help to stabilize your life in times of economic hardship. While individually these ideas can add mediocre increases to your income, to make your side hustles truly profitable, it is best to have atleast 1 side hustle in each category.
Things You’ll Need:
Motivation
A Computer
A Skill or Passion
Step 1
Passion Income: Although it sounds like a cliche to “turn your passion into profit,” it is a great way to earn money on the side while doing what you love to do. If you love writing, try writing your own novel or self-help book. If you pace yourself over a 6 month period, writing 1 or 2 chapters a month and saving about 0 per month toward publishing and receiving your ISBN number, your book could be published at little to no economic setback. The cost to apply for an ISBN is approximately 0 (go to isbn.org for current rates). Publishing costs are becoming cheaper, costing as little as 0 to publish your book. Other passions include making pottery, sewing, arts and crafts, freelance writing and scrapbooking. Passion hustles do require some of your personal time, but the positive part about passion hustles is that they reduce your stress level, increase your fun time, and they give you a sense of accomplishment.
Step 2
Service Income: Our world is turning into a service driven society rather than a product driven society. People get paid for what they know or being an expert in their field. There are many different services that are very profitable. While some services require training and/or courses, there are many services that only require basic knowledge and minimal experience. For the services that require a small training course, view it as a small investment that will bring greater increase in the long run. For example, if you know how to use a computer, you could buy tax preparation software, prepare taxes for 25 people each year and earn enough money to make repairs to your home or build an emergency savings. You can also take a course with H and R block. The good thing about building a small tax preparing service, as well as other service hustles, is that it can be done at home, on the computer, and can be a seasonal job. Lawn service is another seasonal side job that can be done during the winter and fall to make extra money. While many service hustles require some spare time on the weekends or after work, some of them can be done at home, near home, on the computer, or with children. With a few business cards, a few word-of-mouth contacts, and flyers, service hustles can accumulate wealth in addition to your regular income. Other service hustles include landscaping, babysitting, cooking, dog sitting, dog grooming, barber services (cutting hair on the weekends at your home), doing nails, hair braiding, massage therapy, designing websites, painting and home repairs (changing a doorbell, shaving a door), pressure washing, programming (if you know a programming language), computer repair, custom computer building, lawn maintenance, freelance programming and web design at rentacoder.com or elance.com, making business cards and marketing material, and preparing wills/living trusts for your home state.
Step 3
Internet Income: With the unlimited reach to millions of people around the world, an internet hustle is a definite way to make money on the side. There are so many ways to make money via the internet. You can sell items on ebay, sell books on amazon.com, or even have your own website store built for your passion hustle. Paypal.com, for a small fee, is a great way to collect money from customers online. Paypal allows users to collect credit card payments and transfer the money directly into your bank account. The nice thing about having an internet hustle is that you can make money with little to no effort, time or money. One of the best ways to make money on the internet is through ehow, writing articles in your spare time. If you are a photographer, sell your images on istockphoto.com and receive money for each download. Other internet hustles include blogging, building myspace templates, building flash or website templates, videos and powerpoint presentations online, selling crafts at etsy.com, selling t-shirts at cafepress.com, or creating online ads and banners.
Step 4
Good Times Income: Although the economy overall is weathering a storm, there are many hustles that can be done during good economic times. Rental income is a great way to build income. If you have a large amount of money to invest, consider, buying property and renting it out. The advantage of buying now is that the housing prices are at an all time low; however, you should consult a professional to find out if it is a good idea to buy and rent property in your area. Use your rental income to pay on your principal payments. Buying stocks that pay dividends is another way to add income in good economic times. Websites such as etrade.com can help you with your stock investment and decrease your transaction fees.
palmbeachcar.com Why would anyone in their right mind even consider renting a new car when they know they are throwing money down the drain? With hyperinflation coming soon, every dollar you can save right now and invest in silver will be worth hundreds of dollars in the not distant future. Let TImo Pajamaki Show You Some used car rentals Boynton Beach that won’t break your bank account. Used car rentals Boynton Beach, Florida. Ask about rent to own used car rentals Boynton Beach available on these affordable, dependable cars and trucks in beautiful Boynton Beach, Florida. Click the link to see our entire inventory now. Whatever you do, don’t throw your good money away in these economy. http – created at animoto.com
History of Seattle
Seattle is the northernmost major city in the United States. This article tells a brief history of Seattle. It lies on a narrow strip of land between salt waters of Puget Sound and Washington Lake. Then there are two mountain ranges near the rivers. Thus it is a city built on hills and around water. The first settlers that came to the city were members of Denny party and they came in 1851, however in 1852 they relocated to the eastern shore of Elliot bay. The city of Seattle became official in 1853 when the first plats were filed.
In that time the economy depended on the lumber mill. The Indian war of 1856 interrupted the development of the city, and it remained stagnant over the next few years however, in 1869 when territorial legislature incorporated Seattle there were 2000 residents. In 1870s coal was discovered still there was no growth explosion and everything went on slowly, in late 1870 the rail road was built till Tocoma, however, in 1883 with some pressure on the government and the train company, a track to Seattle as also laid down, with that the economy grew and so did the population as many people came here in the city. The population growth got reduced with the fire of 1869 which leveled down quite a large area of the city, rendering many people homeless.
The start of the 1890s was also not very booming for Seattle, in 1893 another rail road was lied down, however it did little to improve the population. Gold was discovered in 1897 and once again Seattle became a center of attention of everyone as they came here to mine gold and to earn large profits. During early 1900s Seattle discovered the reward for its advertisement and hence continued to grow, however the population became intensely diverse, that is it was like that a people of one kind were only allowed to do one job and could not interfere with any other job. In 1942 the 42 story building was completed that was the tallest of building in America for quite long. During world war one, the city shipping industry revolutionized and produced a huge number of war ships. In 1930s a depression hit the city and the economic growth suffered immensely. Take tour of Seattle Limousine Rental and Seattle Town Car Service of the Boeing Company was built in 1916, but it was not till 1950s that the planes produced once again improved the economy of the city.
Since then, the population growth and the economy has remained nearly stable throughout the time line, though there are some incidents were the economy fell, but it eventually improved. At the moment Seattle has quite an impressive number of companies that provide jobs to the people. However, it is the art and cultural institution is the main backbone of the city economic and population growth.
Related Economy Car Rentals Articles
Score Secret Airline Perks
All-Access Lounge
Porter, a small Canadian carrier offers each passenger access to its lounge, while most airlines charge a fee to enjoy their lounges. Porter’s lounge area offers free wireless Internet access, complimentary coffee, soft drinks and tea, as well as workstations.
Carbon Credits
Virgin America allows its passengers to buy carbon offsets on flights through the non-profit Carbonfund.org. Donate and it will offset 2,500 miles; will offset 5,000 miles. Offsets are currently being used to fund the reduction of tailpipe emissions in vehicles such as large trucks. They also fund biodigesters, machines that capture methane before it’s emitted into the environment, then converting it into liquid fertilizer.
First-Class Food in Economy
Continental is still serving free meals in coach, while nearly every airline charges for in-flight meals. Others have begun offering quality meals and drinks for a minimal price. Delta’s flights offer the EATS menu, a variety of fresh entrées and high quality snacks for purchase during breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Foreign Frequent-Flier Programs
Most foreign versions of frequent-flier programs offer perks like complimentary access to airport lounges, bonus tickets and easy upgrades. British Midland Airways, Air France and Korea Air offer the best perks for those who travel abroad frequently or to U.S. coastal destinations like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For example, once you’ve flown 100,000 miles on Korea Air, you’re automatically given platinum status for life. This includes access to rental car services, hotel discounts, and bonus flight tickets.
Free Champagne
On Air France, everyone is treated to complimentary champagne from the region of Champagne. It’s served to passengers in economy, business and first class sections.
Free Luggage Checking, Food and Drinks, and Others
Many airlines are charging for checking luggage, food, drinks and blankets. Others continue to offer some of these for free. Southwest Airlines still allows two bags for free and offers free drinks and snacks to passengers. Continental still offers free meals in coach. Singapore Airlines lets frequent fliers check three bags for free.
In-Flight Concierge Service
Air New Zealand aims to provide flight attendants with the knowledge of a travel agent with its in-flight concierge service, available to all passengers. These concierges will offer practical assistance with airline processes and travel arrangements. They have specialized knowledge of the airline’s destinations. They will personally recommend shopping, local restaurants, must-see sights and other insider info.
Pets Equal Points
Several airlines offer additional frequent-flier miles when you travel with your pet. Continental has a program called PetPass where frequent-flier members earn one point for every dollar spent when traveling with a dog on the airline.
Priority Baggage Handling
Singapore Airlines will handle your luggage carefully, marking it ‘priority’ upon joining its Elite Gold rewards program, irrespective of what class you fly.
Y-Ups and Q-Ups
Y-Ups are special codes on first-class airfare indicating that the seat can be assigned to those wanting to upgrade from economy. Go to your airline’s website to find one of these secret fares. Search the first-class seats on the flight you desire to take. Write the code down of any of the seats tagged to a code like Q***UP. Afterwards, search for an upgradeable coach seat, and also write down that code. Remember that some airlines do not allow upgrades for super-cheap coach fares. Lastly, call the airline. They will usually waive the telephone service fee for frequent fliers, if you ask them to. Request that your coach seat be upgraded to the first-class seat for the price of coach.
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Economy and Luxury Cabs on Rental in India
In India, many automobile rental service providers are ready to help thousands of tourists in many mega cities like Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and many cities etc. India has many gorgeous monuments, historical buildings, religious buildings, hill stations and many more which fall in different cities of India. These cities are Agra, New Delhi, Goa, Mumbai etc. So, thousands of tourists come in this incredible nation every year. They also tour for Bangalore and visit its natural beauty. This city is known as the golden city of India. In this city, a number of hire cabs rental companies are catering thousands of visitors every day. Bangalore Car Rental service is a reliable cars rental agency in this city. This agency provides a variety of automobiles like Benz, Accord, Ford Ikon, Fiesta, Honda City, Ambassador, Indica and many more.
These are available at the most competent rates for all visitors that are very irresistibly attractive. Many tourists are enjoying these types of services in this city. Many cabs agencies also rent out multi services, high capacity vehicles like Tavera, Qualis, Sumo and Tempo Traveller. In addition, they offer other services like hotel booking, cars leasing services, and corporate cabs rental services and so on. You can get well trained chauffeurs who are professionally managed by automobile rental service providers in this city. The professional chauffeurs are excellent the art of safely wading through the ocean of vehicle in the Bangalore traffic. You can really enjoy your journey with a safe and peaceful ride along the garden city of Bangalore.
Car Rental Chennai presents a professionally managed cabs rental service to a wide range of customers from individual clients. It has great pleasure to introduce a wide range of vehicles models, luxury cabs at reasonable price. Car Rental Chennai offers you the flexibility of rentals ranging from chauffer driven, weekly rentals and monthly rentals based on your requirements. The agency provides all types of cabs rental like luxury cabs, corporate cabs etc in Chennai. If you are choosing a reliable cab agency in India, then you look the reputation of the agency and must read all terms and conditions. The agency has a variety of cars that suits different purposes and pockets. Before choosing cabs, cars should be in perfect condition, more economy, and premium and luxury categories.
If you are looking for a professional, safe and punctual chauffeur car with a drive that is willing to go India that extra mile to make sure that your journey is comfortable and effortless.
Car Rent India is one of the leading economy car rentals service Provider in Delhi (INDIA). We also provide the cars for Agra, Jaipur ,Udaipur, Bikaner
Car Rentals
Article by Andy Brown
Car rentals are an important and popular means of inland transport needed after reaching a particular destination by air, rail or boat. For inland road transport car hire companies have been operating for almost a century, now in about 150 countries with more than 8000 outlets across the globe. These outlets have been rendering excellent services to travelers all over the world. They have a well maintained fleet of modern, sophisticated vehicles catering to the needs of business travelers and those on leisure. The cars for hire have a wide range of variety, from small family vehicles to large carriers like van and buses. They are economy cars to luxury deluxe vehicles to cater to all pay pockets. They have satellite radios, navigation system, air conditioning, special seats for children and physically handicapped, luggage racks, space for ropes and sport apparatus. These cars can be classified as Economy, Executive, Fun, Green and Prestige Collection. One can afford to travel in ones dream car, be it a sport racer Mustang, a convertible, low pollutant emitting car from the eco friendly Green Collection or a BMW, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Audi or a Volvo from the Prestige Collection.These fine cars can be easily booked on line or even telephonically, with ready quotes available. Car rentals are competitive in rates, and are affordable as the car hire company has tie ups with airlines, railways, corporate groups, #Gold Club, offering discounts and concessions to travelers and also providing them with loyalty bonus. From time to time schemes offering discounts to students or on extended weekends, or through Nectar rewards are offered to make the rentals attractive.The outlets of car rentals are provided with competent staff to take meticulous care of all aspects of car hire business that involves paper work from booking to final billing. On verification of credentials like the diving license and the passport keys of the chosen vehicle are handed over. Cars are rented out on daily, weekly, monthly basis and if required for a longer time they are leased out to the hirer. There is provision of sale of the car to the hirer and replacement facility also is made available.The driver and the hirer are amply insured to provide financial security to the hirer. There is also provision for 24 hours road support facility and medical emergency facility available to make the travel safe and trouble free. The car rentals quality services have made car hire road travel a popular mode of transportation all over the world. For accomplishing ones purpose of traveling whether on business to an office or off to a holiday resort on a hill station or a sea beach or visiting an architectural masterpiece, a car rental connects the hirer to its destination, most conveniently. The traveler enjoys the trip in comfort and luxury.
Vacation Savings Tips For a Tight Budget
I’ve been traveling as a yearly hobby for the past 20 years, and trust me, I live on a very tight budget. So through the years, I’ve learned to spot some areas that offer savings and will share them with you here. Whether you want a trip to the Caribbean on a week long cruise, or just a weekend getaway to an amusement park you can pull it off with some careful planning to keep the costs in a more affordable price range!
Hotel Stays
Look for military, AAA®, senior citizen or AARP® discounts, these will average 10% off your hotel stay
If possible, book hotels that offer complimentary breakfast, you could save on average per person by taking advantage of the free breakfast at your hotel.
If possible, do not book your stay around major holidays or as checking in on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Room prices can increase by as much as 0 a night or more if you check in for example, on a Friday compared to a Tuesday.
Be on the lookout for some hotel chains offering a free night stay when you book 2 or more nights, and take advantage of the offer if it fits your travel plan time line.
If you think you can’t afford to bring your pet, and you can’t afford a pet “sitter”, then consider La Quinta Inn®, they have a pets welcome policy and no pet deposit required. Red Roof Inn® also has a lenient pet policy.
Cruise Lines
Avoid booking your cruise during the peak season, this is when prices are at their highest.
Keep in mind that you are not obligated to purchase shore excursions. Plan in advance by researching your destination online and learn what is available for you to visit and enjoy on your own, it is usually much cheaper than the cost of the excursions offered by the cruise line. But by doing a little research in advance you’ll be able to make an informed decision of which is more affordable for your personal situation.
Most cruise lines do not charge for water at meals, so avoid ordering sodas or alcoholic beverages which will be an addtional cost.
Weekend Getaways
Consider alternatives to hotels such as beach houses, condos, bed and breakfasts, or RV parks. For example a large group can be accomodated in one beach house, and when splitting the price you can save hundreds over booking a hotel instead.
Look online for coupons if you’re planning to visit local attractions such as zoos or amusement parks, many places will have coupons that are free admission for children, or buy one ticket get one free.
If you have a car that isn’t fuel efficient, you should compare the price to rent a vehicle that has great MPG against what you would spend in gasoline. For example if you normally would take your large SUV and it costs 0 for gasoline round trip for a weekend trip to the closest major metropolitan area, you may find that you can rent an economy car for only for the entire weekend, and for the round trip in gasoline in the rental car… saving you 0 in this example
Flying abroad
Book online and look into flight packages that bundle air, hotel, and rental cars into one price, these offer the best savings.
Avoid planning vacations around holiday times when flight prices will be at their highest.
If you aren’t set in stone on “where” to go specifically, say you just want to go to an ocean with clear blue water and white sandy beaches – then be sure to compare the flight prices for various locales offering the same scenery, you’ll find the price could vary greatly depending on the specific city/country/area that you choose.
If you normally book first class, don’t turn down a vacation because of the price, consider coach instead (its the same plane after all)!
Staycation And Its Benefits Explained
A staycation is the term used to describe persons spending their vacation within their own town, city or country. In other words it’s playing tourist in your own backyard. The rise in popularity in this form of vacation has come about for a number of reasons.
These include the skyrocketing oil prices, the severe world recession and to a lesser extent the increased security checks at airports. All these factors have forced individuals to rethink their spending habits or simply to consider issues related to personal safety.
Whatever is the reason for the rise in popularity this method of vacationing has brought numerous benefits to both the individual and the local economy. Here are five benefits of the popular staycation…
Reduces Travel Misfortune
There probably isn’t a traveler who hasn’t suffered some travel misfortune or another. Actually mishaps when traveling seem par for the course they range from lost luggage, stolen merchandise, delayed and cancel flights. Staycations tend to eliminate most of these unfortunate incidents simply because you are basically on your own turf.
You therefore have greater control over your luggage, your merchandise and your schedule this eliminates most of the common mishaps.
Keeps Money in Your Pocket
Travel over long distances whether it’s overseas or inland really tugs at the purse strings and with the cost of inputs such as fuel constantly rising traveling has hit the pocket hard. Travelers have been forced to dig deeper in their resources to afford the escalating cost of everything from baggage fees to increase ticket prices.
By keeping you in your area the staycation has eliminated all of this putting more money for leisure activities in the pocket of the persons taking that much needed vacation.
Keeps Local Economies a float
Many of the local economies based on tourism have found the going pretty tough lay offs and reduce hours of work has been the order of the day during this recession. As many vacation seekers hit by increase cost has refrain from spending money in areas such as travel.
The local economy therefore has been hard hit; the staycation therefore provides the opportunity for persons to spend money within their communities. This has led to numerous spend offs such as keeping jobs going within the restaurants, hotels, car rental agencies and even manufacturing.
Increased Rest and Relaxation
One of the main reasons for traveling and vacations is rest and relaxation but traveling to distant places can be tiring. Standing in long queues, flight delays and lost luggage all add to the stress in today’s world. The staycation because of its close proximity removes most of these factors allowing you to have that extra time to relax and enjoy the amenities on offer.
Increased Local Knowledge
Most of us live in community’s too busy going about our day to day lives often oblivious to all that’s going on around us. Many of the facilities, attractions, accommodation and even restaurants tend to go unnoticed.
Take a staycation and all this seem to change once you are switch off from the daily grind you instantly become more aware. This is great especially if you have kids this certainly increases their local knowledge putting them in a better position to speak with knowledge and passion about their communities.
While the staycation may have come about because of the recession and other global challenges its popularity as the perfect alternative to the traditional vacation guarantee that it is here to stay.
Reasons For The Economic Crisis Leading to The Great Recession
Ok, this could be the topic of someone’s doctoral dissertation on economics. I am going to try to keep it simple here. There are some things that need to be understood that I will touch on. I am writing this from a completely American perspective and a bit nationalistic. Here is my take. I am sure people may disagree, but even if we disagree some of our ideas may help people who don’t know. This will be a very basic layman’s level. My other reviews on finance may help you with this.
The first thing to understand is the nature of economics and capitalism. Basically capitalism is to make as much money as you can without lots of limitation from government entities. The reality often is that people want to make as much money as they can and spend as little as they have to. Your boss wants the most work out of you for the least salary that will you doing the job typically is a great example. Another thing below capitalism is inflation. My political science professor always said that inflation is too many dollars chasing too few goods. In other words when more and more people want something and can pay for it, the price goes up. Now that we know those two key things that will get us to the next subject of things that were going on.
For one thing you have incredible amounts of speculating on Wall Street over prices of commodities. The one that moved the markets it seemed most lately is oil. Best way to think of speculation is like betting. There is always a winner and a loser. One guy thinks the price of oil will go up and another thinks the price of oil will go down. They place an order on the oil through a broker (kind of like a bookie) and he makes their order. If oil goes up the guy who thought it would go up is on good shape and the guy who thought it would go down is screwed. The reverse if true in the opposite scenario.
Another thing is the housing bubble. Basically prices were going up outrageously and people kept pushing them up. The more expensive houses had the bigger problems. Real estate was being bid up astronomically in various regions of the country. The most notably of these were California, Nevada, Florida and Arizona. These are the areas that are having big problems now. I worked in mortgages for a time, and I can tell you that some people would buy a house in Florida that would go up in equity by like 5% in a week. Typically that occurs in a one year or longer of a time span. Some places were almost doubling in two years. This created a bubble that was bound to burst. There was lots of speculation over rental properties as well as people buying houses with the intention of selling them within a couple months. This is known as flipping a property.
Another thing that was a big problem tied to real estate is the mortgage loans. There are a few things that caused problems here. The rampant speculation that houses would go up is one of these. There were lots of people buying up houses they were planning to sell in a month or two as I had already stated. They were not able to sell the house and the loan got defaulted on since the buyer could not pay it since they could not sell it. Banks also wanted to make loans thinking the party would go on forever. One such loan was a no documentation loan that got affectionately called liar’s loans. Typically you have a pulse and good credit you can state your income and you get a loan. My company did require you to have a certain amount of money in the bank, but most did not require any. Some even would let people with less than perfect credit do this. Several customers aided with the encouragement of shady loan officers and mortgage brokers, lied about what they made. Someone may have only made 40k per year, but they may tell the bank that they make 60k to make the numbers work. So when values fell people could not unload the property and could not afford to keep paying the mortgage. It is not as cheap to foreclose as people think. This caused problems.
The sub-prime lending fiasco is yet another part of the economic crisis that can be tied to the economic meltdown. What is sub-prime lending? Sub prime lending is lending to borrowers who are “credit challenged” but still need loans. The rates are typically higher and in some cases much higher as some of the terms border on usury. Most of the predatory lending cases involve sub prime lending. Lenders have models that they use based on their lending that determine the rate that a customer will qualify for. There are also typically income requirements and some have length of time at job requirement. My bank had a pretty good amount of regulations, but still did some shady stuff. If someone had 20% down and had a 620 fico (explaining the score will go way beyond the scope of this guide, but basically it’s a score that tells lenders if you are a good credit risk or not. It also looks like three drunken lawyers drew the formula up). They could get the best rate on a 30 year fixed mortgage. IF there score was 720 they still got the same rate. Now on a second mortgage a 10 point increase in the credit score could mean a lower rate. So some of the shady companies started doing lots of sub prime loans were the rate is usually anywhere from 2-10% higher than a typical rate (or more). Lots of lenders also would offer adjustable mortgages that had high rates that adjust after 2 years then every 1-6 months. Many of these same lenders did not make sure the customer understood what they were doing. The rate was similar to a 30 year fixed, so lots of people though that just a little above the average was fair. Several did not understand that the rate was variable and can change. One of my neighbors had a loan like that and I did not realize it until she mentioned it. She got foreclosed on and it’s such a shame as she is a good person who makes decent money and just had a shady loan officer trying to make more commission. I did not get a chance to read all the paperwork, but I think she was paying over 18% on her first mortgage from what she told me after the fact. I had never heard of a first that high. Her second was 22% and that I had heard of.
In addition there is the consumer s who bought more of a house that you can afford. Some people took loans that were variable figuring the rates would not go up (at the urging of the broker) and they did. People also wanted to took interest only loans that eventually you need to pay principle on. Some of them had their payments double about the time the meltdown started. People cant pay their bills you know the rest. This is tied into how the values fluctuated in areas and the shady practices of loan officers. I believe these loans are probably the top driver from the mortgage side of the economic downturn.
These cause yet another problem is the trickle down effect. Here is what happens. Someone has a house foreclosed on and their bank loses money the bank may start laying people off. You then have other people with financial trouble who are unable to pay credit cards, mortgages, go out to dinner and so forth. So it could affect everyone. The consumers default on loans, so the bank needs to cut costs to cope with the loss so they lay off, from there you have a consumer who can’t go out to dinner a much. This can affect wait staffs dry cleaners and other service people, so therefore it trickles down. I know I don’t eat out as much with the economy being as bad. I still tip, but I don’t leave a nice tips as I used to unless the waitress is really really HOTT (the wife hates this), but I still don’t leave as much due to the economy as most people (whether they admit it or not) don’t as well. This example can be used in just about any example with money. People don’t go out to eat as much you have cooks getting hours cut and the cycle continues. The cook can’t pay his credit cards and the cycle continues. Now some of this is the consumers fault as people often live beyond their means even when they don’t need to. My job pays me pretty good. When I got my mortgage the loan officer was trying to talk me into getting a house that would be quite more expensive than the one we bought. I informed him I saw some rough times ahead and that I wanted a house I knew I could afford even if my plan took an unexpected financial fall. I also bought my last two cars used. I had people who reported to me in my old job that drove Mercedes and lived in houses that obviously were causing them to live paycheck to paycheck. Most do not know what to do now.
Still yet another things that is related to the personal financial crisis that is not really tied into housing or speculating, but there could be a loose association is the inherent greed in most people. Most companies want to make as much money as possible and spend as little as possible to make a quality product. Hence we have outsourcing. Lots of phone positions are sent to India and lots of manufacturing jobs have been sent to china and other places. I am all for people getting to live, but I do prefer to buy American made things that stuff made overseas. Plus there have been lots of safety issues with stuff coming from china. I once was going to get some crawfish and saw they were from china. My first thought was what does a Chinese man know about Cajun crawfish. The problem here is rich greedy fat cats who run companies want to make more money in bonuses. They make like 2 million dollar bonuses and lay off a bunch of people making like twenty five thousand per year. That is legal and capitalism, but it makes me sick. I believe it also exploits people in the other countries. I have a friend from china who told me of the conditions in parts of the country like the wages and the things of that nature. He referred to some as sweat shops. Tommy Hilfiger shirts cost if you get a good price and that “gentleman” pays like counting labor to get it made and exploits people. Mark my words. This occurred with Japan. Now labor is cheaper in the U.S. than Japan so lots of stuff is made over here that is owned in Japan (several cars, Some ESP guitars). I believe countries in Africa will be the next area that greedy businessmen exploit.
This example causes people to lose jobs, have houses they can’t pay for, in turn can cause them not to pay bills, and eventually not pay their mortgage. If they can float their bills they don’t go out as much to movies or dinner and as you see from my above examples someone is paying the price. IN short I think Greed started the financial crisis. Some greed is ok, but it is ridiculous now. Babies in china had died because people wanted to pad the profits on milk. Some of that could have come over here. People have lost pets due to creed. The U.S. companies are greedy because they want to pay the cheaper labor of china and the Chinese people were greedy for cutting cost by putting crap into their products.
Hope this helps. I know it is a bit of a rant, but the points I bring up all are the reason for the mess we are in among others. As crazy as the world is I wonder if God is thinking “water did not work the first time, maybe financial markets will make my people behave”. I also should mention that I do not believe this will be another great depression it could be. When you factor this in with all of the outsourcing it is scary.
Sources
My own personal observations and experiences
CBS News
US News and World Report Magazine
Money Magazine
Posted in Economy car rentals | 
Crisis, Economic, Great, Leading, Reasons, Recession | 
Leave a commentIntroducing South Africa to Visitors
South Africa is known for its natural beauty, wildlife and sunshine and is one of the most diverse and interesting countries in the world. Its landscape is a true jewel in the crown. South Africa is the only country in the world which is governed by three capitals namely Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein. Cape Town is the legislative capital, Pretoria is the administrative capital and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.
South Africais located at southernmost tip of the African continent (22 degree to 34 degree south and 16 degree to 32 degree east) and borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. South Africa was governed by Holland from 1672 to 1810. After this, two British colonies and several independent republics ruled the country until 1901. South Africa then became a self governing member of the British Commonwealth from 1910 to 1961 and then became an independent republic.
The country is divided into nine provinces and 367 magisterial districts. The government is represented by National Departments, Provincial Departments and Local Government at the district level. Environmental issues are the responsibility of the government at each of these levels.
The currency of South Africa is Rand (One U.S $ is equivalent to 6.10 Rand). The economy has grown steadily since 1992 although the rate has slowed. The government’s target was 3% per annum for the period 1994 to 1996. Inflation is approximately 6% and under half the population is living below the poverty line.
The weather in South Africa in general is warm and dry with winter temperatures rarely falling below zero degree and summer frequently above 35 degree centigrade. The average annual rainfall is approximately 500 mm. Most of the central and eastern parts of the country enjoy summer rainfall but the western region of the country experiences rain during winter. The reason for agricultural development in South Africa is due to its moderately fertile soil, although some areas are marginal and suffer from degradation and soil erosion.
South African mining industry is one of the country’s few world class industries and has the capacity to continue to generate wealth and employment opportunities on a large scale. The mining industry provides jobs for over half a million people. The industry has created towns and nodes of economic development throughout the country. Because of the nature of work, the industry has provided large numbers of employment opportunities for less skilled workers from south Africa itself and from the region.
South Africa’s most limiting natural resource is water. Most of the major rivers have been dammed or have water abstraction schemes in place, in order to supply industry, agriculture and domestic users. The government is committed to supplying all South Africans with at least 20 to 30 litres of clean water per day. Currently, 16 million people do not have access to clean drinking water.
The population of South Africa is 47.9 million out of which 38 million are Africans, 4.3 million are white, 4.2 are coloured and 1.2 million are Indian/Asian. The white population i.e., Dutch, German, French, Huguenot and British descended from the colonial immigrants during the 17th, 18thand 19thcenturies. The coloured people of mixed race descended from slaves brought from East and Central Africa, the indigenous Khoisan who lived in the Cape at the time, indigenous Africans and whites. Most of South Africa’s Asian population is Indian in origin. There is also a significant group of Chinese South Africans.
As far as religion is concerned two-third of the population follow Christianity. This includes Zion Christian, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Dutch reformed and Anglican. The other significant religions are Islam, Hinduism and Judaism.
South African constitution guarantees equal status to 11 official languages which are Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhos, IsiZulu, Sepedo, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Other languages spoken are Khoi, Nama, Arabic, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. English is generally understood across the country as it is the language of business, politics and the media.
Food and drinks in Africa is moderately priced. One can find really cheap raw products fresh from farms and fields in smaller regions and provinces. Some meat products include goat, deer, boar and beef. There are also exotic goods like alligator and ostrich meat. Seafood is a staple food in South Africa as it is available in plentiful along the country’s Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines, Hake is the most common fish caught in the Atlantic Ocean waters; it is normally used in “fish and chips”. South Africans are known for their hospitality and love to cook for visitors, During a hearty meal featuring a main course such as bobotie, seafood or mutton stew accompanied by vegetables and rice, it is also a practice to offer guests a variety of drinks such as wine, homemade beer or tea. Fruits puddings and cakes round off a great meal.
Over 80% of South Africa’s land can be cultivated but only about 12% is devoted to agriculture. The main crop is corn. Wheat is grown in winter when the climate is like the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. If you are fond of Avocados, Litchis and Mangoes, you will be glad to visit Limpopo and experience the untamed natural beauty of fauna and flora. South African farmers also raise livestock but their herds do not produce enough meat to feed the population. Live animals are therefore imported from neighbouring Namibia and Botswana.
Transportation in South Africa is not a problem. Tourists can choose to travel by Train, Car, Bus or Air. Taking a Train is remarkably safe, civilised and enjoyable way to travel between cities in South Africa. There are several different train services like The Blue Train, Premier Class Trains, Shosholoza Meyl long distance passenger trains, Metro suburban trains.
For those who prefer to drive in South Africa, it is important that they obtain an international driving licence from the country of origin/residence and know that driving is on the left hand side of the road. There are plenty of car rental agencies like Avis Rent a Car, Budget Car Rental, Imperial Car Rental, Hertz Car Rental and National Car Rental who offer cars, mini bus, passenger van and luxury 4X4 wheel drive at an affordable price. The Car Rental Agencies can be contacted at the Airport also on arrival. If possible, rent a Vehicle with GPS system installed. It is also advisable to always let someone know that you will be travelling and when to expect you.
South Africans love to shop and to sell. There are large shopping centres across the country from giant chain stores to small speciality boutiques. Also of great interest for tourist is the large flea markets found in all the major centres. When shopkeepers do not have shops, they take to streets. Hawkers and craftsmen display their wares at traffic intersection, minibus taxi stands, inner city pavements and major thoroughfares selling everything from sweets and fruits to elaborate sculptures and home furnishings.
Trinkets and accessories are manufactured and distributed locally and these are basically affordable. Electronics and cars are imported from Japan and Europe which cost the same as in their place of origin. With the addition of VAT, prices have risen in recent years but quality and service have become better. Labour costs have also increased which explains the inflation in consumer goods and accessories.
Telephone services in major cities are excellent and there are internet service providers as well in different parts since most of the technology is available and communication links are well maintained. The postal service is also working fairly well although some adjustments are needed in rural areas.
Scenic diversity is one of the most striking characteristics of the Eastern Cape with stretched coastline. The place is popular for the Shamwari Game Reserve, beaches, water sports, Addo Elephant Park and Nelson Mandela Museum.
The Western Cape is famous for the Table Mountain, beaches, Robben Island and the Cape point. The road from Johannesburg to Cape Town is a breathtaking drive passing through Vineyards.
In addition to boasting two of the world’s most renowned wildlife reserves, the Kruger and the Kalahari Gemsbok National Parks, South Africa has over a dozen smaller regional parks and reserves. Another attraction for tourist is the luxury of the game lodge at sunset. One of the best South African game reserves is in Kwazulu Natal which is known as the ‘kingdom of the Zulu tribe’. Besides being known for its pristine beaches, the Drakensberg Mountains and miles of subtropical coastline, the place is also popular for water sports, golf coast, battlefields and cultural villages. Mpumalanga is also very popular amongst tourist because of its magnificent scenery, the fauna and flora and dozens of wildlife and birds sanctuaries.
A part of Africa which is considered commercial and Industrial powerhouse is Gauteng which literally means ‘place of gold’. Gauteng is also known for the Apartheid Museum, Cullinan Diamond Mine and the Union Buildings. Most of the Northwest Province close to Johannesburg and Pretoria is devoted to agriculture and mining.
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