Try checking the grocery store for reduced buggies, reduced
Posted By: wannie on 2005-08-08
In Reply to: How do you guys pinch your pennies - need help conserving monies
counters in the meat and produce departments. Quite often, you can find perfectly good foods marked down (be careful about pork). My husband is a meat cutter and we quite often have meat that has been reduced and it is just as good as what was cut that day. Buy double roll toilet tissue. For whatever reason, it seems to last longer at my house. Buy cheaper brands of shampoo and hand soap. The stuff from Wal-Mart works just as well. The same can be said for scented lotions. Make your own potpourri. Mix cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg in water and keep it simmering in a small crock pot. Smells really good and is less expensive than candles. Believe me, I can pinch a penny, but it's really not so bad. 
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Yes my pay has been reduced by 2/3. So.. sm
I figure I will have to do triple my amount of lines to get back to where I was. I don't think that is possible is it? I hear where you can maybe double your lines but triple?? Any opinions?
ME rates reduced
yep, the letter's in the mail. if you're doing ME work your rate will be decreased off of your base rate because they think the average production increases by 25%. well, you have the choice as staying as a MT at your regular rate, which I'm going to do as their ASR program can't seem to distinguish between the smaller words in a document even with the person saying them very, very clearly that you're continuously having to peck along to correct. The system even leaves out words that clear dictators are saying. Until they fix those kinds of things I'm not messing with it. You cannot get a rhythm doing the ME work -- at least that's what I've found. I've timed it and I can type a document faster from scratch than I can do it with ASR. That's just my opinion. They are paying us pennies to do a job that requires more than flipping burgers at Jack.
THIS is what we're reduced to as MTs - sm
what do we sell next?  We're certainly not able to sell our skill, our professionalism, our decades of experience -- these are up for grabs to the LOWEST bidder!
These are credited to you at a reduced rate ---
Indications:
Examination Protocol:
Aorta Meaturements:
Interpretation:
Recommendations:
How long do you think it will be until MQ throws everything on ASR even the junk to get the reduced
line rate. Should be interesting to see. I do think they are looking for a big exit also. There is no work in a lot of the offices especially Amherst and my understanding is the work will be delegated from a national office and not regional and they will put people on accounts that need work. Not sure what that means but maybe the days of having a main are coming to an end. Should be great for quality.
Staff will be reduced and equipment not replaced
Care provider will attempt to maintain their income and will attempt this by reducing staff/overhead (that includes transcription by the way).
The medicare/medicaid patient should have copays that are reasonable.
Reasonable is the key word here. But there is a sense of urgency that is taking place due to the state of Social Security and the aging baby boomers who are beginning to retire, who will due to good medical care for a lifetime, perhaps live for 20 plus years on Medicare benefits.
Weren't the Indians given a reduced rate to get CMT?
p
The incidence of errors could be greatly reduced - sm
if MTs were paid in such a way that they didn't have to positively RACE through everything they type, just to make a decent line count and an honest day's wage.
Take proofreading for example: Sometimes I think we come out ahead by NOT proofreading and taking our chances with missing an error, since if we really kick butt on our line counts, it can make up for being docked. But that goes against my nature. So I slow down enough to actually SEE what I'm typing, and then go back and proofread. It produces the best-possible quality of reports, but then eliminates any chance of a bonus because I can't reach that *carrot-on-a-stick* that is dangled a bit too high (in terms of a qualifying line count) for me to reach.
No way, I am having no problems with productivity, only that my pay has been reduced to compete
with the global market, that is a fact.
Now please with all respect please do not offer your opinions on my situation, I am sensing a little attitude here and I am not interested in your opinions on that. Thanks.
Reduced my desk clutter, bought a KVM sm
I got a slick new KVM. I work on 2 computers every day, so this was a necessity. All USB, a Belkin. Not only can I used ONE mouse, ONE keyboard, ONE monitor, but I can use ONE set of speakers and ONE set of headphones in said speakers. This one came with a remote button. Push it and you are on the other computer.
I have wanted one for a very long time and I have it!!!! They have come a long way.
Now...I just have to keep my backgrounds different so I know where I am...
careful with the reduced rates... devalues the industry sm
and forces even experienced MTs to lower rates just to keep clients.
My honest two cents, meaning no disrespect to anyone.
Clients see the bottom line before they see the years of experience an MT has. (yes, they do.)
A new person coming in with a lower rate will only cause problems.
And, the meat in the grocery store comes
I believe that if you buy "beef" it comes from cows, an animal. I believe if you buy "chicken" it comes from chickens, an animal.
I was a cashier in a grocery store and
he came in to buy groceries for his mother. We were both 17 and married 1-1/2 years later, been married for almost 27-1/2 years now.  
have you tried the library (if you still have one) or the grocery store...
like, lingering, you know? I have been approached many times by men like that...
how about friends, does anyone have a set-up for you, even just for some companionship?
how about volunteering for things, like a food pantry or wildlife center.
of coures, goes without saying to be cautious always when out in public these days...
also, laundromats I always see single guys...
anyone else?
Put notices up at the grocery store,etc.
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.
In our regular grocery store.
x
And where exactly do you think that the meat in the grocery store comes from?? ANIMALS!
nm
Regarding Walmart vs grocery store prices
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.
I should also say that DD #1 started out at a grocery store pharmacy
then went on to the hospital after 9 mos or so.
My hubs got one at the music store that he uses while playing guitar. Or maybe a furniture store. Or
s
Grocery savings, and web link
We shopped at Aldi Foods when all our kids were at home - teenagers and toddlers at the same time - this was a big help with keeping grocery $$ lower. I think they take only cash or ATM (no credit cards - which is probably a good thing).
Gardening and canning your own produce can help save money on your grocery bill, as well as homegrown produce is better for you nutritionally. It is time consuming, however.
A favorite web site - The Dollar Stretcher http://www.stretcher.com
Not sure, but I went to work at a grocery and lovinin it.
or tennis shoes. It's within walking distance of my house. I have a set schedule and get paid and can cash my check right at the store every other Thursday.
I get a vacation, health insurance, there is Workman's comp. Istarted at $8/hour and getting raise in 30 days.
I don't work constantly, there is an ebb and flow of customers. I'm not wrung out at the end of the day, and I know what my paycheck will be at the end of the day! They aren't jerking me around with "no work" and there is overtime for when I may work over 8 hours in a day! I NEVER STAND THERE AND HAVE NO WORK/GETTING NO PAY! 
Who knew I would be throwing away 30 years of medical knowledge to slide some groceries across a scanner, put them in a plastic bag, and say howdy to some really nice people-------for the same amount as sitting in a chair, searching for work 24 hours a day, and being treated like a machine.
I miss learning about medicine but I certainly love having a life again.
I will probably pick up some overflow transcription from a local doc's ofc from a girl I know who has some contracts. OR NOT....who knows.....I may throw this whole computer in the closet and shut the door. It feels so good not to worry constantly what MQ's next trick will be.
I agree, best out there in the grocery stores.
My parents both worked for various grocery
stores and my dad just retired from Safeway. Neither of them have ever heard of tipping for taking groceries out to the car.
CABG for grocery list
Yesterday when making up grocery list I wrote CABG for cabbage and it was not on purpose!
Another great grocery saving website...s,
is www.thegrocerygame.com.
I save a great deal of money on brand-name foods using this method of combining coupons with sales. I have even gotten free items, such as a bar of Neutrogena face soap and mustard and even a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
There is a cost of about $5 a month, but if you sign up friends, etc., you can get free weeks. Check it out! :)
Exactly! The newspapers all say that the grocery stores are open.
Why are people in expensive cars waiting in line for free stuff then? There are 2,800 people staying in shelters that NEED to be helped for truly being victims of the storm rather than for being "victims" of lack of planning or preparedness. Believe me, we're not without compassion. We do care. However, people 50 or 100 years ago didn't sit back on their laurels waiting for others to do for them.
I guess it depends where you live. Grocery
I don't know of anyone who shops at Walmart for groceries. Not one. No way I'd buy perishable stuff from Walmart. I was desperate one night a few years ago and bought milk at Walmart and BLECH! It wasn't past the expiration date but it tasted like it was nearing expiration and the coolers were lukewarm.
Let's write to our local grocery stores
now and let them know we do not want to buy food from China, including produce. Please don't start taking apples from China. We trust apples from AMERICA and perhaps Australia and New Zealand, but China can keep their apples.
This is a WONDERFUL program cut my grocery bill
XX
The card should have been given as gift cards for grocery stores, etc.
c
In my town Walmart is the way to go...local grocery stores are outrageous!!! sm
There is no way to feed a family of five at any of the stores in our town! My grocery bill was cut in half when Walmart moved in!
my 18 yo daughter will be working for a grocery chain out here starting Saturday.
It will be interesting to see if she gets any tips ... or will be allowed to. She's going to be starting at $1 over minimum wage but has to pay union dues. She just quit a restaurant job where the business received tips that were to be divied up between the staff. She got lots of tips at her tables that she had to put in the tip jar. She never saw a penny in her pocket from those tips.
Personally, I've never tipped the baggers, but they do work hard!
TIA - THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH FOR CHECKING ON THIS - SM
please do keep me posted. Thank you very very very much.
Thank you. I'm checking them out. (sm)
My most recent experience was more than the 5 years ago that they ask about on the website. Is that going to keep them from hiring me? Is there a test of some sort? Thanks again.
just checking
to see if post worked
Checking
My reports are from 1 to 50 pages. I can't afford to go over the entire report at the end. I do it as I go, using the highlighter on MS Word to mark the last line of each section or several at a time, once they're reviewed. I use a different color to flag things for the doctor or remind myself to go back and review something I need to verify. I just go back and undo the marker points when I'm done. I can't move along without proofing though, maybe because I'm still new at this, or perhaps it's my personality type.
checking--sm
if you have been doing this for awhile and have not received negative feed back from QA, then I would suggest you lighten up a bit on yourself. I leave my grammer checker on and when I am finished with a report, I give it the once over for any *dreaded green lines* pointing out any grammar errors and if there are not any, I send it on. I get very little feed back on my work, negatively. I also check, quickly for any number transposes, as sometimes I get them backwards, but that is a personal thing for me. It saves alot of time if you learn to trust what you do. good luck.
checking
The reason you hire these people is to help you out not add on more work. Believe me been there. There are plenty of good MTs out there, in fact this one is looking!
What about checking
Windows Task Manager? Would this work while you are connected to VPN? Hit CTRL, ALT-Delete once and up pops the window. Choose USERS tab and would that show you if somebody else was on your computer? Just a thought. VPN is supposed to be somewhat protective, but there should also be a firewall and a program like AVG. Where I have worked the IT people do have to know a lot about the computers. IT people tend to be very stressed out because they get blamed for everything IME.
From my checking around,
it seems like you MUST go out on your own and find your own accounts, if you want to make any decent money and STILL have a life! Physicians by themselves pay much better than the MTSO's AND less account specs, cesspool, etc. Cuts out the middleman.
Led Zeppelin is so old they're ready for a nursing home. And the grocery stores
s
They make darn good money at most large grocery stores
No, I don't tip them. If I thought they weren't getting paid hourly, then I might. I might tip someone who gave extra great service, like coming home and carrying them in the house for me, (j/k!) but most places where you are expected to tip, people just expect the tip and take it for granted anymore and don't always treat you well enough to deserve one!
rice, bakery outlets, loss leader at the grocery stores,
My favorite cheap meal is cooking chicken leg quarters in a crock pot with an 1/4 onion and tumeric. Serve them with rice and lentils.
Here is a list of cheap foods: PB&J, bacon (cook two 2 slices at a time to put in eggs and beans), carrots, potatoes, beans (lentils are the easiest to cook IMHO), pasta, rice (use oil instead of butter to save $), eggs, Totinos pizza, and frozen mixed veggies.
www.stretcher.com under groceries has some good ideas.
www.hillbillyhousewfie.com has good ideas too. She has a good list called Everyday Bargains.
Do you have a bakery outlet close by? They usually have great deals on bread and bakery junk food. For $4 you can walk away with a big bag of bread, bagles, cake, ect.
I'm a single mom so I can't do this but if you can go grocery shopping without children that will help. Most stores have a loss leader for meat on sale each week. I would buy that meat and make mix it with rice or ramen noodles for dinner.
Most churches have food pantries. If you call one that does not have one, ask where there is a food bank. Church secretaries get so many calls for help they are usually experts at what the organizations available. Some Catholic Churches have St. Vincent DE Paul societies, they will either give you food or a gift card to a grocery store. Call the parish office and ask if the is one. We recieve food stamps now but I have been to food banks. They usually give canned food, pasta, and bread.
HTH
Definitely worth checking into.....
left office to work here. NEVER regretted it. Good tech support, wonderful, easy going supervisors, great accounts, few ESLs, platform is easy to use. Check it out.
Just checking. It's great to see someone who is
nm
checking my smilies
 Make sure you right click on the picture, choose copy then come here and paste. If this works, that's what I did.
I got a DBA for the checking account...sm
but did not get a business license. However, I do not live within any city limits. I was told by the bank that I should register with the state but never did and I do not recall paying any fees. I eventually got big enough where I incorporated which of course makes all the above points moot.
too much time on re-checking
I was just thinking. If I spent 10 minutes per hour rechecking what I have already typed, 10 x 8 hours = 80 MINUTES. That's a lot of time. And I know sometimes I check more than that.
I need to learn to just trust and let go. What is your rule? Do it right the first time, trust yourself, and just move on, or do you pore back over and worry too much?
I have got to speed up a bit. Seems I have always had this problem!
checking out a surgeon?
is there a way to check out a surgeon or doctor before making an apt with them? (complaints, track record or anthing else). I've never been comfortable with the "referral" from your primary or whoever it might be because I can't shake the idea of friends referring to friends and not based on qualifications. thanks
Checking the dictionary?
Are we watching the same Judge Joe Brown!?! Not the impression I get, at all. LOL!
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