I thought that I was going to be all clever and stuff by quoting from Return of the Jedi with this post: Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational DoD furlough! (But that quote was already taken, more or less.) DoD employees are now through four of their eleven six scheduled furlough … Read more
One very enjoyable stop when we’re in Vermont is Goodies Snack Bar in Addison, VT. For a buck we can get a freakin’ huge creemee (that’s Vermont for soft-serve ice cream). One time I made the mistake of getting a medium hard-pack ice cream cone. The thing had well over a pint of ice cream … Read more
This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting with a bunch of my family’s relatives, some of whom I hadn’t seen in years. Much fun and amusement was had by all. I want to share a quick story about what one wise relative taught one of his children. The gist of it is as … Read more
There have been a number of news articles indicating that the DoD furloughs for fiscal year 2013 are here to stay. So for 600,000+ Department of Defense employees, it’s three furlough days down, and eight more to go. The good news, at least for DoD employees around in my neck of the woods, is that … Read more
Spending less on a given purchase can be very easy. The difference in time and energy between going to a website directly, and first going to a rebate portal like Mr. Rebates or EBates, is trivial. I’ve witnessed people saving over $250 on a single order simply by doing this. I’m a huge fan of … Read more
My wife recently went on a research trip investigating the Goodnight-Loving Trail for her third book. Book sales had gone up a bit, which is certainly a welcome sight. She sells her books through Create Space (for paperbacks) and Kindle Direct Publishing (for e-books). The admin dashboard for KDP shows up-to-date stats of what she’s … Read more
Generally, the shorter the term on a fixed-rate mortgage, the lower the interest rate on the mortgage. This is because there is less interest rate risk for the lender; the shorter the term, the less time there is for interest rates to turn against them (go up). The most common mortgage term lengths are 15 … Read more
If one looks at salary alone, a college degree pays. People with a bachelor’s degree or higher enjoy a below-average unemployment rate and an above-average salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (A hefty student loan payment can eat into that advantage, though.) No doubt also that one’s choice of major can pigeonhole a … Read more