How to save money on tech
CNN offered up some good tips on saving money on tech. But of course I want to analyze and comment on it myself. Anything else would be out of character. Use smart strips. Getting one or two of these...
View ArticleThe Debt Tsunami is a gimmick, but it probably doesn’t matter
I saw some people passionately advocating both for and against a new method of paying off debt: The “Debt Tsumani,” which focuses on paying off debt in the order of its emotional impact on you. As...
View ArticleHow to ditch your landline and your phone bill but still have phones that work
Now here’s a potentially huge money-saver. I still have phone service through AT&T that rings through old-fashioned phones (you know, like the kind you see in a museum) because there’s nobody...
View ArticleHow to self-finance major purchases
My boss (possibly soon-to-be former boss–the parting is amicable if it happens) has an interesting approach to buying cars. He pays cash for the car, then finds out what his monthly payment would be,...
View ArticleAnother benefit of not having debt
I’ve written about how not having debt gives you power, though I can’t find the particular post at the moment. But I remember when I got my first mortgage. I went to a party, and my boss was there,...
View ArticleThese study results on energy savings aren’t surprising
This Ars Technica article talks about the politicization of energy saving products. Pitch energy efficiency as a cost savings, and liberals and conservatives alike are willing to buy. Pitch it as...
View ArticleTwo simple ways to increase your credit score
I have a friend who makes more money than me, has no debt except for a small mortgage, and his credit score is 150 points lower than mine. The key difference between us is that he puts a couple...
View ArticleHow I swapped out a past-its-prime undercabinet microwave
When I bought this house 10 ½ years ago, it had an undercabinet microwave in the kitchen. I don’t know if the previous owners told me how old it was or not. It was an Ewave, which is a brand Magic Chef...
View ArticleAnother month, another go-to LED bulb
LED lighting seems to change constantly. I read about Cree’s LED bulbs a good 12-18 months ago and they sounded too good to be true. In a way, they were, because you couldn’t buy them anywhere. The...
View ArticleBuy or rent? Here’s a datapoint
I’m looking at houses again. There’s one house in particular that I looked at that’s made me think a lot, though not about buying it. The asking price is about $100,000. It last sold in the late 1980s...
View ArticleHow to build Lifehacker’s retro coffee table on the cheap
Lifehacker posted a nice weekend project this week, a retro coffee table, but the price tag seems steeper than it needs to be. If you’re craving some retro goodness but think $300 is a bit much to...
View ArticleWhy you can’t use LED bulbs in a garage door opener
I spent Independence Day patriotically replacing my garage door opener. OK, you got me. I have no idea how you patriotically install an opener. But that’s less important than a curious statement I...
View ArticleSomething that shouldn’t be there
I was standing in line to get a number for an estate sale this weekend–they’re what I do–and found myself standing a couple of people behind someone who talks too much. I think some people talk because...
View ArticleHow to safely remove a stubborn lawn mower blade
I needed to change my lawn mower blade this weekend, which meant I had to take the old blade off first. That proved to be a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. To remove a blade safely, you need...
View ArticleWhat you should know about your first credit card
Lifehacker asked what a first-time credit card owner needs to know. As someone who first got a credit card at the age of 20 and is still reaping the benefits of using one correctly from the start, I...
View ArticleNo, using an emergency fund to pay off credit card debt isn’t a good idea
It seems like I’ve been finding a lot of financial questions online lately. I guess that’s good–it means people are thinking. The best question I’ve found this week is whether you should use your...
View ArticleGo to college, but don’t go broke doing it
I saw in this morning’s Post-Dispatch that 25% of student borrowers can’t repay their debts. I understand why, but it’s preventable. Jim Gallagher’s column has some good advice. I’ll add some more,...
View ArticleDon’t build a drill press out of PVC pipe
This past weekend, Lifehacker posted instructions for building a makeshift drill press out of PVC pipe. Although the finished contraption looks kind of cool, it’s not something you want to build...
View ArticleDon’t be too surprised that financial writers don’t follow all of their own...
Horror of horrors–a financial writer confessed to Lifehacker that he or she doesn’t track every penny of every expense. The hypocrisy! Not really. There are two things you need to understand: The end...
View ArticleClean your own air conditioner and save a bundle
Last week I had to get an air conditioner serviced. The air conditioner was cooling fairly well, but struggling to keep up on hot days when it had kept up just fine last year. So I bit the bullet and...
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