No Credit Needed has a post on free software he uses every day. I’m a big proponent of open-source software, since I think it’s every bit as good as commercial software, and often is better. It’s also usually really frugal — there’s great stuff out there! If I need something done with software, two of … Read more
Or rather, get educated for the right reasons and with full knowledge of the payoff. College probably is all right to pursue. The payoff is decent for the money and time you spend. Financial Freedumb has a good discussion. The less money and time you spend in college, the better — if you can test … Read more
MyMoneyBlog recently posted on how to get cheap toner using eBay and a Staples buyback of empty print cartridges for $3 each. I had thought that Staples must make out like a bandit with this deal — surely the cartridge is a lot more expensive than the toner, so they can recover material worth many … Read more
I was checking out at Costco with a purchase of about $100. Right before I leave, a line manager comes over to chat with me. LM: “Have you heard of our Executive Membership, John?” MBH: “Huh?” LM: “Well, you’ve spent $3,200 with us since you began your membership with us last August.” MBH: “OK … … Read more
I don’t often get into largely political issues too much, but allegations of oil companies gouging their customers get old really quickly. Beginning with Katrina, the big oil companies were under Congressional scrutiny and the targets of possible “windfall profits taxes” for all of these “excess profits.” Now, I hear this on NPR’s Marketplace on … Read more
We recently took our daughter to an allergist, and we found out that she was allergic to a bunch of common things. Meaning: Our food bills just went up a bit. Bread that our daughter could eat was $4 a loaf! So, we started looking for a bread machine. We picked up a Hitachi Automatic … Read more
MyMoneyBlog had a post recently on getting some cheap financial magazines. His source, MagazinePriceSearch.com, is pretty good, and sometimes rivals the deals you can get on eBay. Well, it’s possible sometimes to do even better! MagazinePriceSearch does very well by keeping up to date on the best deals and coupons on about two dozen different … Read more
The May 2006 issue of Money Magazine has an article on how to deal effectively with contractors and what to look for in hiring one for any remodeling work. Several good checklists and tips, including what to get in writing (things like exactly what’s to be done, estimated timeline, mediation and arbitration clauses, etc.), whether … Read more