I felt a little bit like a wet blanket earlier. My wife called up yesterday to ask me about GPS receivers (actually, if she could get one). She and her parents got into geocaching. I was really glad that she called me (we try to discuss any reasonably major purchases). There were a couple of … Read more
I was looking into how pawn shops operated, just to satisfy my curiosity. Ran across an interesting fact: “Pop goes the weasel” is about pawnbroking. “Pop” is another word for pawn, and “weasel” could be either a bobbin, or Cockney rhyming slang for a coat. The idea is that the spinner would “pop” his “weasel” … Read more
Or at least how to pay an appropriate amount for an item: Research any advertised big-ticket items. Know what they should cost new or used so that you don’t overbid once the chant starts. Check out the goods beforehand. Once the auction starts, things will move fast and the item you want could be sold … Read more
I’m in California right now on travel. If you get a per diem for meals (like I do) then you can “make” a little extra money by buying your own food for some of the meals. So if you’re in a place with a grocery store that has a “club discount” card you can spend … Read more
Costco has a winner for the holiday season this year. Man, I was drooling. (Maybe I picked that up from my daughter, but no matter.) One hundred original classic arcade games in an upright arcade-style display. These are old-school games — blast from the past. Tempest. Qix. Millipede. Defender. Missile Command. Asteroids. SPACE INVADERS for … Read more
My wife let me go out “pawning and thrifting” today since I’ll be on travel for most of September for work. A good way to make a side income on a shoestring is to buy things to re-sell. If you enjoy going to garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and auctions, this might be a … Read more
Sometimes I get impatient with cashiers collecting marketing information. It’s really not that big a deal in the cosmic scheme of things, but I’ve come to be a little more protective of my address, phone number, and e-mail address. After getting $50 and $75 for targeting marketing surveys Borders has frequent drink cards (buy ten … Read more
Free Money Finance commented on new rules regarding taking federal tax deductions for charitable gifts. Among the new rules: You can’t write off junk. If it isn’t in “good” condition, you may be disallowed the deduction. Stuff worth more than $500 needs an appraisal. The floor used to be $5,000. Proof of cash gifts is … Read more