I do software development at work. A term that gets thrown around a bit is code smell. It’s a catch-all for any number of programming practices that indicate more serious underlying problems, or that indicate that quick fixes were made that will be more costly to maintain down the road. Basically, the code smells a … Read more
ChristianPF discussed how badly some mail-order cash-for-gold places pay. The linked showed proof of a wide range of payments, ranging from peanuts to tiny peanuts. While a pawn shop would pay $50 for a particular amount of gold chain, the three mail-order cash-for-gold companies paid $37.67, $11.50, and $5.70. But even beyond that, it’s hard … Read more
A friend at work mentioned a few days ago that he was interested in getting some solar panels. He’s already taken a few steps to make his family more self-sufficient and less reliant on public utilities, and this is the next step. I began to wonder what kind of money solar panels were going for. … Read more
Our daughter has a lot of food allergies that place a lot of restrictions on her diet. A corn allergy takes out a lot of foods, as does dairy. Many of the restaurants we go to don’t have much of anything that our daughter is able to eat. This leaves us with a few options: … Read more
If your vehicle has a resettable trip odometer on the dashboard you can put it to good use tracking a couple of things: Easier gas mileage calculation. Reset the trip odometer after you fill up and before you drive away from the pump. The next time you fill-up, make a note of the number of … Read more
For the past few weeks I’ve been going to a chiropractor to start working to strengthen and restoring my spine. My body’s “oil light” is going on and I finally decided to pay attention to it. (Alert: Personal medical history through end of paragraph.) I was born with a clubfoot and went through three surgeries … Read more
I’m actually a pretty easy-going guy most of the time, but a few things tick me off. The phone rings. I pick up the phone. “Hello, this is John.” Two or three seconds later … **CLICK** “Uh, hello, is this John?” At this point, I usually say “Yes, I said that before the machine connected … Read more
I’ve been a proponent of early-payoff of a mortgage because of the interest savings. I still am, for the most part. If you have a lot of resources and can do really well with your money, then it might pay not to pay off your mortgage quickly. It might just be a great deal to … Read more