Ask Emily: Some ways to save
By Susan Pugh on Jun. 24, 2009
Dear Emily: My husband wants to take up golf so he can start playing with some of his friends and co-workers. I am glad he is starting a new hobby; Ive always encouraged him to find some interests other than watching television. But Emily, isn’t golf really expensive? Money is not exactly free-flowing right now. Would it be wrong of me to encourage a cheaper hobby to start with? — Money doesn’t grow on trees
Dear Money doesn’t grow on trees: Golf definitely can be expensive, when you consider the cost of clubs, the cost to play a round, and the cost of lessons that your husband will probably need. Give your husband the rundown about how much this new interest of his will cost, and then decide together if it is affordable. Consider that there are ways to save a few bucks as well. Used equipment can be purchased at some stores, at yard sales, or online. Also, some public golf courses aren’t too expensive and have some discount days that are cheaper to play than others.
Dear Emily: I have a friend Mark who was laid-off from his job for taking money out of the register for personal use. He justified it by saying that everybody else was doing it. He has been unemployed for over a year now, and it seems as if he has no intentions of getting a job. Mark collected unemployment as long as he could, and he is still receiving government aid. This infuriates me because he sits around all day smoking pot and playing video games, courtesy of our tax dollars. Mark has a wife, Megan, who does a majority of the work taking care of their three young children. Megan has a PT job, but her check isn’t nearly large enough to cover their wasteful utility bills and rent. I’m writing to see if there’s anything I can do to send them a wake-up call so they will stop leeching from other hard working people. However, I don’t want to have Social Services come and take away their kids without giving them a chance to tighten up. What can I do? — Tax dollars supporting the lazy
Dear Tax dollars supporting the lazy: It’s true that government programs don’t always benefit those in need, but rather those who are too lazy to help themselves. But with your friend’s case, I’m not sure exactly what kind of aid he is receiving. Unemployment, I believe, cannot be received by someone who was fired for misconduct. Also, unemployment in most states can only be received for up to 26 weeks, not a full year. It sounds like your friend isn’t being completely honest with you. Perhaps he is getting income some other way that he doesn’t want you to know about. Either way, this friend of yours doesn’t seem like a very honest person, nor a good role model to his children. Perhaps your best course of action is to distance yourself from Mark, and be completely honest with him about the reason. Maybe if he sees how unbecoming his behavior his, and how others feel he isn’t fit to be a good guardian, he’d be more motivated to change.
Dear Emily: I am 26 years old, and a first-time homebuyer. I am going on vacation in a few weeks to the beach, and was wondering if you had some tips about how to make my house break-in-proof from burglars. I do not have an alarm system. — Keeping safe and sound
Dear Keeping safe and sound: There are always precautions you can take to keep your house safe from intruders. For starters, you can let your local police department know you will be away so they can keep an eye on your house. Likewise, if you have a neighborhood watch, you can notify them. Just make sure not to advertise you are going away in front of too many strangers. The fewer people who know your house is vacant, the better. Another tip is to limit the number of hiding places around your house where thieves can linger. Cut back some of those shrubs around your windows and doors. Finally, invest in some motion detector lights and/or lights with timers to give the appearance that someone is home.
Have a question? Ask Emily at or write in care of The Burg, P.O. Box 10129, Lynchburg, VA 24506. Then go to http://www.the-burg.com and leave a comment.
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