December 16, 2008

Little problems

I’ve had a heck of a week. My losses from our winter storms were minimal - a couple of small items I’d left in the work area on the carport and a couple of work days - until yesterday. That was when I discovered that I had two roof leaks in my screened room. That wouldn’t be a big deal if I didn’t plan on selling the house, but you can’t market a house with a leaking roof without taking a loss, so it’s got to be fixed. I also knocked my office phone off of the desk while stumbling around in the dark during a power outage and it didn’t survive. I’m using my standby corded phone, but it’s a real pain in the butt. I usually multi-task when I’m on the phone, but this one ties me to my desk, so I can’t fold laundry or sweep floors while I’m talking. It also doesn’t have caller ID or any other digital display - it’s strictly Dark Ages. I was going to keep using it until after I move, but it’s making me crazy, so now I’m shopping for a good phone on sale for a price that won’t make me sweat. Buy.com has one I really like. It’s a Uniden Dual-Handset Cordless Phone With Digital Answering System. I’ve had Uniden phones before and really like them. The answering system might come in handy after I move. I use voice mail through my current phone service, but I don’t know what kind of service package I’ll have with my new provider, so having a built-in answering system could come in very handy. The Uniden’s I’ve had in the past were reliable workhorses with sharp, clear sound delivery. Buy.com’s price is only $34.99 after rebates, a significant savings on the list price of $99.99. Their everyday prices are always good, of course, but the weekly specials (like this phone) are the reason I keep coming back to them. My local electronics outlets can’t beat their prices and the shipping is free, so the price quoted is the price I’ll pay. It’s a great place to shop for almost everything, but I’ve been especially impressed with their discount prices on electronics. If you’ve still got some Christmas shopping to do you should check them out. Whatever you’re wanting to buy, they probably have it and it’s a good bet they’ll save you money.

I’d tell you about the rest of my week and why my fridge is sitting in the middle of the kitchen blocking me from using the stove, but it’s two in the morning and I’m burning out, so I think I’ll save that for another day. Hope your week is going well, though!

[tags]Buy.com, electronics, phones, shopping, Uniden phones[/tags]

October 19, 2008

Shopping for my move

I’m trying to be frugal with my money as I prepare to move to Texas. I’ve talked myself out of plate lunches a few times lately and bypassed a cute outfit for my niece last time I went shopping. Money will be pretty tight until the house sells, so when I do need to buy something I’m making it a habit to look for a good sale before committing myself to a purchase. Buy.com is a great place to do that. They stock brand name electronics, fahionable apparel, baby goods (very tempting to me!) and all kinds of goodies for the home. I’m taking most of my furtniture with me when I go, but you can bet I’ll be checking Buy.com for anything I need to replace. They’ve come out the winner on every item I’ve done price comparisons on lately, and that’s just on their regular listings. Their sale items are priced even better.

There’s one item that’s a bit of a luxury for someone on a budget, but that I might break down and buy anyway. It’s the Nextar X4-T GPS In-Car Navigation System. If you’ve ever driven in the Dallas area you won’t have to ask why I’m considering this. Dallas has the most confusing street, highway and freeway system of any city I’ve ever been in. I almost have panic attacks just thinking about all the driving I’ll have to do on those nightmare roads as I search for a new home and set up my new business. The Nextar GPS seems like a reasonable investment to help keep me sane. When I enter a sough-after location into it, a voice prompt and map will help me find it. It plays MP3s too, but since I’ve never had an MP3 system I guess that’s just an added extra that I might not use. What I can use is the price. The Nextar GPS is a weekly deal and priced at just $109. That’s way cheaper than what I spent on the GPS system I bought my son a while back. I’m anticipating a lot of expenses connected to my move, so the savings will be greatly appreciated.

[tags]Buy.com, GPS system, Nextar, online shopping, shopping[/tags]

September 21, 2008

Missing my PC

I’m getting used to working at my desk from a laptop that is hardwired to my modem and printer. It’s not very comfortable, though. I’d much rather have my PC back and save the laptop for on-the-road stuff. My beautiful HP desktop computer has been riding around in my car with me for the last week instead. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that Trojan Viruses are “relatively harmless.” They can replicate like mad (like viruses!) and take over your hard drive. My computer geek has been sick, so I haven’t had the chance to deliver my poor, battered PC to him, but we had a long talk on the phone yesterday. He thinks, from what I’ve told him, that he can rescue my computer. He thinks that recovering the data from it is not going to happen. He thinks that he will have to wipe my hard drive completely clean in order to remove the virus. In his words, it would be like having a completely new computer by the time he’s through with it. I want all the files and photos and data I’ve lost, but having my desktop back would be a second-best scenario, even if it comes back as a blank slate. It’s all speculation at this point anyway. There’s a remote possibility that he may be able to bring my old programs and files back intact. There’s a much stronger possibility that the PC is a complete loss and I’ll never use it again. Knowing this, I’ve been shopping online, just in case I need to buy a new computer. Having just spent a small fortune on my new laptop, I’m not going to have much money to work with. I found the bargain linked and pictured above at Buy.com. It’s an HP Pavilion almost identical to the old computer. Transition to working with this computer should be almost seamless because it’s so similar to the computer I lost. You know me - I hate change, so minimizing its impact is important to me. Price is important too, of course, so this refurbished computer immediately caught my eye. It’s on sale for only $399.99, a very sweet price. Actually, Buy.com has sweet prices on everything they sell. The HP Pavilion laptop I just paid $799 for? Buy.com has it for $599. I’ve been lusting after a digital camcorder and thought I couldn’t afford one, but Buy.com has several top brands that I could squeeze into my budget. They aren’t just for electronics, either. They’ve got some great bargains on everything from clothing and jewelry to sports equipment and home appliances. I’ve added Buy.com to my bookmarks so I’ll remember to check them out first the next time I want to do some shopping online. Go check them out and you’ll see why.

[tags]bargains, computers, discount shopping, electronics, online shopping[/tags]

August 8, 2008

Magnalight brightens my life

I’ve spent the last thirty years doing what I do. I guess that makes me an expert in some matters. Since I’ve spent a good portion of my worklife in dark places, one of those matters is lighting. Can you see what I’ve got in my hand over there to the right? Yep, it’s my trusty Magnalight, and I never leave home without it. Actually, it’s only one of my trusty Magnalights. I have three or four of them for work and home. When I find something that’s sturdy and reliable and that does exactly what I need it to do, I’m a fan. I’m a huge fan of Magnalight!

I limit my business to providing termite inspections these days, but I’ve spent most of my career working for full-service pest control companies. When I supervised treatment and repair crews, we needed more than just handheld flashlights to light our way. A treating tech needs both hands to handle equipment, as did our carpenters when they worked in crawl spaces, so we always set up stationary High Intensity Discharge lights to light their work areas and keep their environments safe. The last company I worked for had hid lights that looked that the one shown. I’m not positive it’s the same exact model (it’s been a few years) but I know we bought ours from Magnalight, because we always bought from Magnalight. High intensity discharge lights use low wattage to provide the brightest possible light and are the lighting of choice for numerous trades, not just us bug folks. They can be mounted for stationary use, but portable models can go wherever you need to use them and even be used as vehicle spotlights.

If you’re not a Magnalight fan yet it can only be because you’ve never tried one. You need to correct that oversight. There’s a Magnalight for every task you can imagine, so if you’re like me you need several different models. I don’t do this very often, but here ya go: Magnalight has the skeet seal of approval!

[tags]HID lights, lighting, lights, Magnalight, work lights[/tags]

June 17, 2008

Preparing for dark days

Remember last winter when I didn’t have power for almost four whole days? I had candles and oil lanterns all over the house and couldn’t get enough light to read after the sun went down. I was afraid the dogs would knock over a candle or lamp and start a fire, so I placed them up high, but that meant lousy light quality for reading and finding things. I had two flashlights, too, and used up a slew of batteries before power was finally restored. Trying to live normally during a power outage is a dangerous and costly process. I’ve replaced all the stuff I used up from my emergency evacuation box, but I’ve been meaning to upgrade it and haven’t done that yet. We’re in hurricane season again, so I should do it soon. A shake LED flashlight would be a good addition. They don’t use batteries - you just shake them for one minute to build up enough power for half an hour of light. It’s a cheaper and greener way to go, and I won’t have to worry about setting the house on fire when I need to carry a light around from room to room. It’s affordable, too, costing less than what I spent on batteries during the great blackout, so it will pay for itself in savings pretty quickly. If this is sounding familiar it’s probably because you read about it in “O at Home” (the Oprah magazine.) I can’t think of any reason not to add a shake LED flashlight - or two or three - to my evac kit.

Now a message from your mother (hey, I’m someone’s mother so I have to do these things!) Have you got a fully-stocked evac kit ready for emergencies? If you don’t, would you take care of that soon so I can quit worrying? There are several emergency preparedness posts in my archives, but your local phone book and civil defense organizations are the best places to find out everything you need to know so you’ll be ready when disaster strikes. Don’t say it won’t happen to you; it’s happened to me a few times and my evac kit has gotten me through some rough times. You should know the evacuation routes and shelters in your area. You need to know what you can take to a shelter with you, and how much. You need to be ready to hunker down with no outside contact for three or four days if you have to shelter in place. And you really should do it with as much eco-friendliness as possible. The link above will take you to innovative green solutions that will give you something to feel good about when bad times come. Eco-friendly radios, water filters and lighting belong in your evac kit, so check it out!

[tags]eco-friendly products, ecogeekliving, emergency kits, evacuation kits, flashlights, green solutions, shake LED flashlights[/tags]

February 1, 2008

Super Bowl 2008 Ads = pop culture in the making

I love my kid. He’s a great guy, very thoughtful and loving. I’ve missed him a lot since he moved back to California a few years ago. We stay in touch, though, mostly through frequent phone calls. I always have to brush up on the latest happenings in the sports world before we talk. Otherwise our conversations will founder when he starts raving about his favorite teams or player contract negotiations or whatever else sports-related is on his mind. The fact is that I’m not much of a sports fan and it’s something of a relief not to have to have those conversations on a daily basis anymore. I’m hopelessly befuddled by pop culture, too. I just don’t follow that stuff, so I end up saying “uh-huh” and “I see” a lot when I talk to my son. I am “with it” enough to know that the Super Bowl ads and halftime show will be subjects of conversation soon, though. Pop culture happens at the Super Bowl each year, so I’ve been doing my homework, getting myself primed for those earnest heart-to-heart talks that I’ll enjoy with the kid soon. I’ve already gotten a sneak peek a the Sunsilk campaign that will be introduced on Super Bowl Sunday. I’m sharing that with you in the video above. I like the premise of the campaign - women sharing the things that inspire them - but I’m glad I still have some time to do a little research before the big day. I know who Marilyn Monroe is, of course, so I’m good there. And Madonna? I’d know her if I ran into her on the street, but I haven’t exactly kept up with what’s going on in her life. Madonna taught a whole genearation of little girls that it’s okay to go out in public in your underwear and she divorced Sean Penn and then … dropped off of my radar. Yeah, I think I need to brush up on her. Who is Shakira, though? I heard and saw a little of her performance in the video, but that’s pretty much all I know about her. Will I need to know all about Shakira before that in-depth post-Super Bowl conversation with the boy? Maybe if I download some of her Playphone.com ringtones onto my cell phone I’ll learn to recognize her singing and start to feel a little less hopelessly lost. They’ve got selections from all three gals actually, plus other Super Bowl 2008 ad campaigns and a whole catalog of today’s hottest artists. You get ten downloads for only $9.99 a month , but you also get ten bonus downloads when you start the service. Playpone.com has videos and wallpapers and games too, so there should be enough material there for my crash course in pop culture, right? I know I’m out of step, but I’m willing to work on it for the sake of a good mother-and-son relationship. How much time have I got? When’s the Super Bowl? Oh, yikes! That soon? Guess I’d better grab those downloads and start my cram course!

[tags]Playphone.com, pop culture, ringtones, Super Bowl[/tags]

October 30, 2007

Do not call - are you registered?

I got an email from a cousin today:

This is for real, I just registered mine.

…YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

My cousin is a pretty intelligent guy, but he’s constantly forwarding emails such as this without verifying the information. It seems to me that it would be less troublesome to go to Snopes or the source quoted in the email forward than to forward it. It took me about a minute to debunk this one. From the FTC website:

October 12, 2007

The Federal Trade Commission today reiterated that despite the claims made in e-mails circulating on the Internet, consumers should not be concerned that their cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketers in the near future, and that it is not necessary to register cell phone numbers on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry to be protected from most telemarketing calls to cell phones.

Read the entire press release.

So should you register your cell phone? It can’t hurt. I get occasional telemarketing calls on my cell phone, so I decided it was the reasonable thing to do. You can do it online at the National Do Not Call Registy or by calling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236) from the phone you want to register. I used the phone number to register my cell and office phones today. It took less than two minutes to do each. My fax machine does not have a handset on it, so I registered my fax line through the online site (link above.) That was also quick and easy. I look at it the same way that I see buying term insurance - like an ace in the hole. I remember registering my phone (land line) when Do Not Call became available, but maybe that was before I got new numbers. I regularly get calls from Sun Marketing (as do thousands of others who have complained about them) and occasionally from other telemarketers. Now that I know for sure that all of my phones are registered I’ll be able to file complaints if these nuisance calls continue. It takes thirty-one days for your number to actually enter the system, but after that you’re protected for five years. It’s free, so I can’t think of any reason not to do it.

[tags]do not call, FTC, National Do not Call Registry, telemarketers[/tags]

October 17, 2007

Making a classic (but easier!)

Have you ever made a cake from scratch? I know there’s a whole generation out there (or maybe even two) who have never made a cake without using a mix. Cake mixes were available when I was young, but Mom just didn’t believe in using them. She made her cakes the old-fashioned way, and she taught me to do the same. All four of us (two brothers, one sister and I) cooked at an early age, but I was the one who really took to it. I know I cooked my first full family meal when I was about seven, but I don’t remember when I first baked a cake. What I do know is that it was a 1-2-3-4 Cake. That’s the one Mom made most frequently, and I always asked for it on my birthday. I haven’t made one in a few years, but it’s still my favorite. The name comes from the main ingredients: 1 cup of shortening, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour and 4 eggs. It’s a very rich cake, denser and a little grainier than the cakes you’re probably used to. Did I mention it’s my favorite non-chocolate dessert? That’s why I still make it from time to time, even though it’s time-consuming and mixes are easier. If you’d like to try it be prepared to spend a little more time than you’d use for a mix, and be prepared for your hands to be completely worn out from all the mixing (unless you have a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer!) Here’s how:

1-2-3-4 Cake

3 cups sifted cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated
1 cup milk

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream shortening with sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add beaten egg yolks and beat thoroughly. Add sifted dry ingredients and milk alternately in small amounts, beating well after each addition. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into batter. Pour into greased pans and bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees F) about thirty minutes. Makes 3 (9-inch ) layers.

You see what I mean about all of the mixing? I have a condition in my hands called deQuervain’s Tendonitis. Over-using my hands brings on exruciating pain which feels as though my wrists and hands are packed with broken glass. After the pain comes numbness severe enough that I can’t control my hands. A recipe like the one above is tough on healthy hands. It’s more than I can handle these days, even with my little hand-mixer, which vibrates horribly and cripples my hands if I use it for more than a minute or so. What I need is a Hamilton Beach® Mixer, which will not only save my hands, it will also make all of the juggling of ingredients much easier (since I won’t have to hold onto the bowl with one hand while holding the mixer with the other hand and wishing for a third hand to add the ingredients as I mix.)

Now I don’t want to send you into shock, but it’s not too early to be thinking about Christmas shopping. Y’all know that my son goes out of his way to get me wonderful presents. I usually hem and haw when he asks what I want, but now that I’ve had a good look at the Eclectrics® Mixer I know one thing I’d really like him to give his old mom this year. Just so I can make a 1-2-3-4 cake for him, of course.

* Don’t even think of going to all this trouble and then slapping frosting from a can or a mix on this delectable cake. I recommend and old-fashioned Seven Minute or Caramel Icing. Hey, you’re in the kitchen anyway. Do it right!

[tags]cake recipe, stand mixer, Hamilton Beach Eclectrics® Mixer, kitchen appliances, memories, nostalgia[/tags]

October 16, 2007

iPhone accessories

Do you have an iPhone yet? I’ll admit I’m a little slow to take up new technology. I only got my first cell phone four or five years ago. I like the iPhone. I love the gee-whiz factor, the wonder of so much technology crammed into such a small package. I’ll probably get one someday, but I’m a cheapie, so I’ll wait a while for the price to come down some (like many of you, I’m sure.) If you’re one of those folks who had to have one right away, good for you! I’ll be picking your brains before I get one for myself. You paid too much, though. You know that, right? The price of newly developed technology is always astronomical at first. If you’d waitied a bit you probably could have gotten it for a much better price. That’s water under the bridge, though, so all you can do now is protect your investment. You’ll need some iphone accessories to make sure you get your money’s worth out of your expensive toy. I had an inspector friend who lost several cell phones because he kept them in his pocket. He dropped at least two of them into toilets while checking for plumbing leaks during his inspections. Can you imagine doing that with something as expensive as an iPhone? Yikes! I’d really be kicking myself! Better get yourself a sturdy case or maybe a Belkin Sport Armband for iPhone (picture above) to keep your iPhone safe. Check out pdostore.com. They have all kinds of accessories for your iPod and iPhone. They’re not expensive and can save you a bundle. Not that you’d ever drop yours into a toilet, but, well … accidents happen.

[tags]iPhone acessories[/tags]

August 18, 2007

Recycle your old cell phone

I’m still laboring away at my clutter problem. Obviously, I’m not working at it hard enough or it would all be gone, but still, I’m working on it. I’ve been going through my office files this weekend. I keep two years of paper files in my office file cabinets, three years archived in file boxes, and I shred and dispose of anything older. Today I’ve been culling the file cabinet for files to move to archives. Every time I take a break I scan around the office for other things I can get rid of. Do you remember that I recently boxed up eight or ten office phones and set them out for the charity truck? Today I came across the two old cell phones that I had intended to give to the women’s shelter out here on the coast, but it had turned out that they can’t use them. I know you shouldn’t just dispose of electronics in rubbish that will go to the landfill. My service provider isn’t interested in a trade-in when you upgrade and doesn’t offer to recycle your cell phone, so it’s left up to the consumer to decide what to do with their old cell phones. I think most people toss them in a dusty corner and forget about them (I’m not the only one, right?)

So what are you supposed to do with old cell phones if you can’t throw them out and the provider won’t take them back? CellForCash.com has a practical answer. They pay cash rebates on over 600 models of cell phones. Just look for your manufacture and model number in drop down boxes and you’ll be told instantly what your cell phone is worth. Ask them for a postage-paid box, mail you phone back to them and they’ll send you cash. Less clutter plus a cash payment - that sounds good to me! If your phones are very old like mine and have no cash value, that’s okay, too. CellForCash has information on local recycling options and charity sites that accept cell phones. I just discovered that several local charities here need cell phones and - would you believe it? - my bank will recycle it for me.

If you’re asking yourself “Why should I recycle my cell phone?,” there are some things you should know. It’s a fact that cell phones leach hazardous levels of lead when disposed in landfills, but that’s just part of the problem. Cell phone circuit boards can contain arsenic, beryllium, copper, mercury and other toxic chemicals. The flame retardents in the plastic housing, wiring boards and cables contain toxins, too, and cell phone batteries - yep! - more toxins. These toxins can contaminate groundwater when they get into landfills, and cause air pollution when burned. Improper disposal is even against the law in some areas of the US. The State of California and some areas in Washington and New York have made it illegal to dispose of cell phones in landfills. California, New York and Maine have laws requiring retailers to provide recycling services for cell phones. Whether mandated by law or not, we need to do the responsible thing. CellForCash makes it easy.

[tags]cell phones, environment, recycle cell phones, recycling[/tags]