Paul Michael's blog
Posted 2 days 22 hours ago by Paul Michael
Consumer Affairs, Cars and Transportation
Both John McCain and Hillary Clinton are proposing a new Gas Tax Holiday that will run during the summer months, bringing “much needed relief” at the pumps. But will it? More than 200 economists, including four Nobel prize-winners, have already signed a letter rejecting the proposal.
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Posted 4 days 3 hours ago by Paul Michael
Deals and Coupons, Freebies, Deals, Lifestyle
Music fans of the world, unite. The very cool Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (or who basically IS Nine Inch Nails), is letting fans download the entire new album The Slip free at the NIN website. This is one further slap in the face to the RIAA, and a move that will no doubt shake up the archaic music industry even further.
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Posted 1 week 3 hours ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Green Living, Art and Leisure
My recent post about reusing old plastic bottles inspired me to look around at other ways to use, well, garbage. And I found a site that really made me think twice about the contents of my own garbage can.
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Posted 1 week 2 days ago by Paul Michael
Deals and Coupons, Consumer Affairs
It seems the retail giants are serious in their quest to get hold of your economic stimulus check. One of the biggest, Sears, is offering to multiply your check if you spend it there. And others are following suit.
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Posted 1 week 4 days ago by Paul Michael
Deals, Technology
I've written about free online storage in the past, but nothing comes close to this. For a limited time, filedropper.com is giving away 250GB storage accounts to bloggers for free. This account usually costs $10 a month. THIS DEAL HAS ENDED, BUT I DO HAVE SOME SLIGHTLY GOOD NEWS...
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Posted 1 week 6 days ago by Paul Michael
Consumer Affairs
Wow. I guess pigs may just fly after all. Because, believe it or not, the goverment is actually paying out the economic stimulus checks ahead of schedule. And that means you could get your cold, hard cash as early as Monday, depending on your SSN.
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Posted 2 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Food and Drink
Is it me, or are most people a bunch of Spam snobs? I admit it’s not filet mignon or a piece of finely seared Ahi Tuna, but come on people! It’s not that bad. In fact, I love it, and a lot of my friends and family do, too. It’s a great friend to the frugal chef, and if I can do anything today, it’s to convince Spam skeptics to change their ways (vegetarians excepted…maybe).
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Posted 2 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Life Hacks, Food and Drink
It's been a while since I did one of these video compilation posts, and the subject at hand is more than worthwhile. I thought I'd look around for innovative and inventive ways to recycle water bottles, soda bottles, milk bottles, and basically anything else that comes in plastic bottles. I was amazed by the versatility of the humble, but ultimately costly, plastic bottle.
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Posted 3 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Health and Beauty
98% of men say they do it; the other 2% are lying. But far from it being something to be embarrassed about, researchers have strong indications that this very common activity could have uncommon effects in reducing the risk of prostate cancer.
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Posted 3 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael
General Tips, Lifestyle, Health and Beauty, Food and Drink
The chances are, you're dehydrated right now. In fact, over 75% of the American population is deyhdrated, and worse still, over 80% know they are. No big deal? Well, it is actually. Lack of hydration can lead to all kinds of problems, including obesity, fatigue and a much higher risk of certain cancers. So grab a glass or three of water and read on.
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Posted 4 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael
Cars and Transportation
The image you're looking at is a classic VW ad from 1979, a response to the gas crisis at that time. I just filled up my tank, and 16 gallons of Plus Unleaded cost me over $52 here in Colorado. If you're in California, you're paying more. Use diesel? I already feel for you. So the big question is, what are you going to do when regular gas hits $4/gallon this summer?
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Posted 4 weeks 5 days ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Life Hacks, Deals and Coupons, Consumer Affairs
Let's cut to the chase; when you're shopping around for hotels, you want the best location, the best star-rating and the best service for the lowest possible price. Usually, that means opening up about 10 browser windows and comparing the deals. Well, not any more. A new search-engine I've just discovered does it all for you in seconds.
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Posted 5 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Lifestyle, Consumer Affairs
I was in McDonald's this morning, returning a RedBox movie rental. I've seen a lot more of this place since I started using RedBox actually, and although I don't order food I get to see many other people get their meals. And I am staggered at the way most people treat the staff. Has the milk of human kindness gone off? It certainly seems sour.
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Posted 5 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael
Deals and Coupons, Technology, Consumer Affairs
I love Apple as a brand. It makes great products, it has tremendous loyalty, but could I go as far as to tattoo the famous Apple logo on my body to get a lifetime discount? Well, that’s the latest, greatest scheme from Steve Jobs and Co. And people are lining up in droves to do it. (This was an April Fool's gag readers. Now that the day has passed, it's only fair to warn you. Enjoy)
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Posted 5 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Life Hacks, Deals and Coupons, Freebies, Deals, Lifestyle, Consumer Affairs
Why go to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video? Why pay between $4-$5 for a DVD movie rental? Why pay anything for a DVD rental ever again? For the last month, I haven't paid for one new release movie at RedBox, and sometimes I've rented two or three in one day. It's legit, it's easy and if you ever pay even one cent for a DVD rental again, well, you're paying too much.
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Posted 6 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael
Deals and Coupons, Freebies, Deals
If you're a fan of Office Space (shame on you if you're not) you will know of Milton's obsession with his Swingline stapler. Well, in exchange for about 2 minutes of your time, Swingline.com will give you a $20 stapler for free. Now that's a deal that would make Milton drool all over his TPS reports.
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Posted 7 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael
Frugal Living, Life Hacks, Technology, Consumer Affairs
I have one of those USB jump drives. It holds about 256Mb (hey, I bought it years ago, but I do have another 2GB drive on order). Sometimes I forget my jump drive, and my files are just too big to email. I hate burning CDs and DVDs if I don’t have to, it’s a waste, so I wanted to know if there were free storage options online for me. I found a whole bunch.
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Posted 7 weeks 2 days ago by Paul Michael
Personal Finance, Consumer Affairs
How about $200k? Or $500k? Well, I guess it all depends on the state of your marriage, but the bigger question is this: what would you do for money? I ask because I’m getting a little disturbed at just how far people are willing to go these days for a large wad of cash. Case in point - The Moment Of Truth.
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Posted 7 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael
Life Hacks, Deals, Shopping, Consumer Affairs
How many times have you been shopping on Amazon, added the items you want to your cart and have then been told “Wait! Add just $2.97 to qualify for Free Super Saver Shipping.” Maybe not that exact amount, but you get the idea. What happens next is hours of searching to find something to plug the hole. Well, not any more.
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Posted 8 weeks 2 days ago by Paul Michael
Consumer Affairs, Cars and Transportation
Every 26.4 seconds, a vehicle is stolen in the U.S.* If you want yours to be one of those vehicles, just follow these simple guidelines and the thief will be driving away in your nice set of wheels before you can say “follow that car.”
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