?

My employer requires that all managers work a minimum of 45 hours, yet our paystubs reflect a salary based upon 40 hours. Since 45 hours are required and our salary is based upon that, shouldn't the paystubs reflect that?

I currently have a 30 year fixed at 70000 and a HELOC with a balance of 10000. Original loan is 4 and a half years old at 6.25%. HELOC is interest only at 7.25%

Minimum payments are 560 on original and 60 on HELOC(although I try to pay 100 there)

I just ran my credit report and TransUnion says my score is 752.

Broker is advising me that closing cost will be 2400 & they can roll it into new loan for a principle balance of 83000. With an interest rate at 5%, he say total monthly payment will be 580.

According to my math, it would take me about 13 mos., to start 'saving' money in the long run and of course, my monthly output would be immediately reduced.

However, I plan on selling in 2 years (plans, like life, subject to change)

Any advice? Would it be wise to refi., even if I plan on selling in just a couple of years?

Also, are these 'closing costs' negotiable in any way?

Thanks in Advance...Much Peace...

can I use canned evaporated milk with regular breakfast cereal? Will it taste the same as say, whole milk?

Last night I had a dream that a red-throated hummingbird got into my house somehow. Since he was very fast & fleeting, I tried to find out how he got in, thinking I could lure him back out the same way. I found no open or cracked windows or doors, but when I was outside looking, I saw that I had an overwhelmingly huge flowering shrub of some type, covered with red rose-like flowers. An old lady neighbor drilled me on why I had a hummingbird in the house & warned me, that I should get it out. When I went back in, I found the hummingbird perched on a blind in front of the window and for some reason I thought about my sister, who is fighting cancer. I went to scoop it up and at the last minute it flew to the floor and landed right in between the front two feet of my dog (a white sharpeii/pitbull mix that passed very sadly about 6 months ago) Again, I thought about my sister, as in, she had been through this trying to catch a hummingbird thing before. In between my dogs legs who only looked at it & wagged her tail, the hummingbird did let me scoop it up and for whatever reasons I had a box of ornate and colorful file folders in my arms. I sat the hummingbird on top of these folders and it seemed content to just sit there in between tabs until I could take it outside.

I'm trying to provide as many accurate details as possible, but what has me wondering the significance of the hummingbird being in the house, the surprise of having my passed away pet show up & the 'memories' of my sister having been through something similar. The box, the files, the flowers, the warning & the windows don't bother me, but may mean something.

Any insights, opinions, interpretations would be appreciated...lol, as all I can think of is the old wives tale about a bird in the house.

Thanks Folks...Peace

I have heard that zinc charms are highly corroded if worn into saltwater...is the same true for pewter? How about in chlorinated water?

I'm looking at getting a small charm for my leather anklet, but the design I like is more readily found in pewter (as opposed to sterling silver)

I had a soft-rubber lined in-ground fish pond with a waterfall & now, I am wanting to convert it to a wading/floating pool.

I have drained it, scrubbed it & now, refilled it...

Testing the chlorine & PH, I find that the chlorine is high(almost a 5) and the PH is very low (about 6.8)

Researching on-line, I came across someone who says that aerating the water well will help the ph levels come back up over the course of several days. Does anyone know if having a water pump & fountain constitutes as aerating the water well? And if so, if this will in fact raise the ph?

I have been told to Shock it.

But I have to plead ignorance...I read the Shock bottle and I don't see anywhere that it states it will affect either one of these.

If you cannot tell, I really do not know what I am doing and any guidance would be appreciated.

Could these symptoms/diagnosis be all related?

40 year old female, smoker (shame)

Kidney stones 2 yrs ago

Pre-cancerous Breast Calcifications current and 1 year ago

Raynauds Syndrome diagnosed last month (had for years though)

Multiple Miscarriages

Tested for Lupus last year=negative

Sore bones, especially arms & legs.

Currently taking Norvasc for Raynauds & Celexa for anxiety/depression. (Past 30 days)

I will be back at the doctors in a week or so & will ask him, but I can't help but wonder if all of these thing weren't inter-related or if there wasn't a common thread through all of them.

Any ideas or experiences?

My apologies, last year, as well as about 10 years ago and twenty years ago...I was tested for thyroid disease because of another strange symptom (breast sporadically secreting clear and/or white fluid)...each test has come back normal.

40 year old female, smoker (shame)

Kidney stones 2 yrs ago

Pre-cancerous Breast Calcifications current and 1 year ago

Raynauds Syndrome diagnosed last month (had for years though)

Multiple Miscarriages

Tested for Lupus last year=negative

Sore bones, especially arms & legs.

Currently taking Norvasc for Raynauds & Celexa for anxiety/depression. (Past 30 days)

I will be back at the doctors in a week or so & will ask him, but I can't help but wonder if all of these thing weren't inter-related or if there wasn't a common thread through all of them.

Any ideas or experiences?

Thank You!

I have a rubber-lined outdoor fish pond @ about 450 gallons. Pump broke down last week & I didn't get it replaced for several days (four) :(

By the time, I did, some of my fish were dying & the rest were swimming at the top gasping for air. The pond had been exposed to rain one day & sunshine for the following three with no pump. Algae/seaweed began.

In the pulling of my old pump up & replacing it and all the filters, I noticed that the water (once stirred up by me digging down into the bowels of the pond) smelled very much like hair-perming solution.

The water is starting to clear up again now & all of my fish have died. I know I really messed up in no replacing the pump in a timely manner (I was broke & really still am.)

We are in a severe drought here and are no allowed to fill ponds, so I cannot empty,clean and refill pond.

I wonder specifically what I can/could/should do to expedite cleaning my pond so that it can once again be a hospitable environment for goldfish?

I bought a second home which I rent to my disabled brother.

Is this home considered a rental or a second home?

He basically pays the mortgage on it & pays what could be considered fair market value on it.

If it is considered a rental, what can I write off to offset the 'income' from the rental?

Ugh...divorced last year. Ex-husband gave me a lump sum payout of 17k to pay me back for the truck I gave him, his back taxes I paid & accumulated debt I paid of his.

Do I now have to pay taxes on this 17k, even though I already paid taxes on it when i originally earned it & paid his bills?

I bought a second home which I rent to my disabled brother. Is this home considered a rental or a second home? He basically pays the mortgage on it & pays what could be considered fair market value on it. If it is considered a rental, what can I write off to offset the 'income' from the rental?

While married, my ex-husband & I filed jointly.

We divorced in August of 07 & I understand that since we married over 50% of the year we must file as Married, but must we also file jointly?

I have a 1099-G which is in both of our names.

How should I handle this?

My power steering pump is out & the belt is starting to throw dust, so I think both of those need replacing.

Plus, it seems my water pump & timing belt need replacing.

Any ideas of how much this may run me?

water pump & timing belt

power steering pump & belt

Any ideas? I heard it was 11-12 dollars an hour?

Fact or Fiction?

I just got a new position, which will be paying 31,000 annually. Pay periods are bi-monthly, so I can figure each check will be 1291.66 before taxes.

I live in Ga., where we do have state taxes on top of the standard federal taxes & social security and I have no children to claim as dependents...any ideas on what my take home pay may be?

Thanks in advance...I am trying to work on my budget.