Paul Michael's blog

About Paul Michael

Paul Michael's picture

An adman with inside knowledge, I'll steer you to wiser choices.

Paul Michael's profile

DIY Plastic Surgery: This Is Not A Hoax.

Posted 1 day 8 hours ago by Paul Michael

Frugal Living, DIY, Consumer Affairs

Nose Job

I do a lot of research on the Internet for information about home-made solutions to everyday problems. In fact, I'll be posting one soon that covers recipes for home-made car wax, air freshener and even glue. But on my travels, I discovered a horrifying fact - in these tough economic times, people out there are taking medical matters into their own hands. DIY plastic surgery is on the rise.

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How To Write A Resume: 12 Steps To Your Next Job

Posted 2 days 6 hours ago by Paul Michael

Career and Income, Life Hacks, General Tips, Career Building

hire me

Self-promotion is not easy. Whether you're a high six-figure consultant, or earning $10 an hour in retail, you still have to talk about yourself in the right way. And one of the key ingredients of self-promotion is the resume. Nail it, and you nail the job. Blow it, and you blow your chances at a better job, better career or even a better life.

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Can't Afford A Home Alarm System? You Probably Already Have One.

Posted 3 days 10 hours ago by Paul Michael

Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Life Hacks, General Tips, Real Estate and Housing, Consumer Affairs, Cars and Transportation

Broken Door

Home alarm systems can be expensive. A basic alarm system can be hundreds of dollars. Move up to the home-monitoring systems of ADT and Brink's, and you're talking big money. Installation can cost over $1000, and the monthly monitoring fee can be upwards of $40 a month. But, chances are, you already own a pretty good alternative.

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47 Simple Ways To Waste Money

Posted 1 week 2 days ago by Paul Michael

Personal Finance, General Tips, Shopping, Lifestyle, Budgeting

Burn money

How are you doing with your money? Do you have everything under control, or are you spending a little more than you should? Well, if you'd like to blow even more of your money, this list will help you empty your bank account in half the time you usually do. Enjoy.

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Times Are Tough; Would You Consider A DIY Funeral?

Posted 1 week 6 days ago by Paul Michael

Frugal Living, General Tips, Green Living, DIY, Consumer Affairs

Gravestone

It's never pleasant to think about death and funerals, but if there is one certainty in life, it's that we're all going to bite the dust at some point. And just like most things in life, death is an expensive business. But did you know that there are options to the usual funeral...you really can Do It Yourself, if you have the stomach for it.

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I Just Think Things Should Work Properly too, Mr. Dyson.

Posted 3 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael

Shopping, Consumer Affairs

Dyson sucks

I don’t own a lot of stuff that’s considered top of the line. Hardly anything in fact. But I do have the “Rolls Royce” of vacuum cleaners – The Dyson DC14 Complete (well, it was top of the line when we bought it, costing over $500). And it sucks. Boy, does it suck.

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A Restaurant Where You Pay What You Can Afford For The Meal?

Posted 5 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael

Entrepreneurship, Green Living, Food and Drink, Consumer Affairs

Same Cafe

It sounds like something out a movie, but it’s actually right out of Denver, my home city. And this wonderful idea is not only incredibly innovative and generous, it’s also working well and making thousands of needy people happy in the process.

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15 Wonderful Uses For Witch Hazel

Posted 6 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael

Frugal Living, General Tips, Health and Beauty, Green Living

Witch Hazel

I discovered witch hazel in college. I was not exactly the owner of the clearest skin in Britain, and dabbing a little witch hazel extract on my blemished skin stopped me enduring a mountain of abuse. But there are way more uses for this shrub than clearing up spotty skin.

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Five quick and simple scams that could happen to you today

Posted 8 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael

Personal Finance, General Tips, Consumer Affairs

Scam

A US version of the UK show The Real Hustle has been trying out some very simple but effective cons on the American public, and they’re getting away with some serious money. Watch, learn and stay alert. One of these could catch you out the next time you leave the office or home, even if it’s just to grab some quick cash from an ATM or a small bite to eat.

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Do You Live In One Of America’s Most Foreclosure-Ridden Towns?

Posted 10 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael

Real Estate and Housing, Investment, Consumer Affairs

Foreclosure

I’ve seen several houses in my area go into foreclosure over the last 12 months. The economy and over-inflated housing prices, coupled with predatory lenders and some very bad decision-making, have turned something that was once quite rare into a full-blown epidemic. But some places are having it worse than others; much worse. Do you live in one of those unfortunate towns? You're about to find out.

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Debit Or Credit? Which One Should You Choose At The Checkout?

Posted 10 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael

General Tips, Shopping, Budgeting, Credit Cards, Consumer Affairs

Swipe

It’s a question I’m asked at least a few times a day when I use my check card, usually by one of those little card-reading machines (although sometimes, an actual living person asks, too). Being someone who hates the word “credit” I have always opted for “debit” and proceeded to enter my PIN number. But have I been doing it all wrong?

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How To Get A Customer Service Phone Number, Fast!

Posted 11 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael

Life Hacks, Technology, General Tips, Consumer Affairs

Help!

So, you've ordered a product or service and something goes wrong. You need to speak to a customer service rep as soon as possible, so you pop onto the website and start searching. And continue searching. And search some more. You'll notice that a lot of companies have buried that information, or don't even have it on the website at all. What now? Well, you can do an online search for the phone number, or you can keep two handy sites bookmarked.

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Beware, The Nasty Secret Of The Craigslist Free Section

Posted 11 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael

Frugal Living, Technology, Shopping, Budgeting, Consumer Affairs

Craigslist

If you love Craigslist, and use the free section to either post products or get great deals, you really need to read this. Because there’s a dirty secret to Craigslist that most people don’t know about it, and the free section gets hit with it most.

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Suze Orman Tells Us To Pay ONLY The Minimum On Credit Cards. Wait, What?!

Posted 12 weeks 1 day ago by Paul Michael

Frugal Living, General Tips, Budgeting, Credit Cards

Credit Cards

You’re not seeing things. This is not an April Fool’s gag (although if I’d written this last year it would have been). No, this is Suze Orman’s latest advice and it is a complete 180 degrees from her usual advice. Why? Two words – the economy.

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How To Turn a 2-liter Bottle Of Water Into a 50-Watt Lightbulb

Posted 12 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael

Green Living, DIY

Bright Idea

It's not often I'm taken aback by the simplicity and power of an invention, but this one does it for me. It's cheap, anyone can make one and it literally changes lives. Welcome to the water-bottle lightbulb.

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Obama Eases Treasury Costs with At-Home Money Printing Stimulus

Posted 13 weeks 2 days ago by Paul Michael

Personal Finance, Making Extra Cash, Green Living, Consumer Affairs

Treasury

Everyone is feeling the economic crunch these days, and that includes the Treasury department. It’s no news to anyone here that there has been increasing unhappiness with President Obama’s latest rounds of bailouts, but today could be a turning point for his recent negative PR. And it’s going to save the government a fortune.

full story 14 comments

The Overdraft Protection Racket: Why Banks Want You To Overdraw, And How You Can Get Your Money Back.

Posted 13 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael

Personal Finance, General Tips, Credit Cards, Consumer Affairs

Overdrawn

I know banks are hurting for money right now, but no more than the rest of us. And one aspect of modern banking that I find most disturbing is how banks allow you to go overdrawn so that they can charge you a hefty fee.

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I Challenge You To Beat My Price.

Posted 14 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael

Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Shopping, Consumer Affairs

BeatMyPrice

Stateless systems are at it again. I’m a huge fan of their two biggest sites, BugMeNot (a way to bypass compulsory website registrations) and RetailMeNot (a vast coupon codes site). Now with BeatMyPrice, they’re turning competitive shopping and price comparison searches into a game. And we’re all winners.

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How To Make Your Own Soda, Tidy A Room In Three Minutes, Cure A Hangover And Become A Movie Extra. Phew!

Posted 14 weeks 4 days ago by Paul Michael

Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Life Hacks, Productivity, General Tips, Shopping, Food and Drink, DIY, Consumer Affairs

MacGyver

I’m a big fan of Howcast. Their website is a treasure trove of information, and you can also find their videos on popular sites like Metacafe and YouTube. Sometimes their advice is really useful, sometimes it’s just plain weird, but it’s always very entertaining. Howcast videos also end with a handy dandy fact; the icing on the cake so to speak.

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How a Teenager Started A Multi-Million Dollar Online Business with a Parrot. UPDATED

Posted 14 weeks 5 days ago by Paul Michael

Life Hacks

parrot cash

Sit down and grab a cup of your favorite beverage. I’m about to tell you the remarkable story of a young man who has built a successful online business; one that makes in excess of $400,000 per year. And most amazing of all is not that this young entrepreneur’s site is all about parrots. It’s that he doesn’t even own a parrot.

full story 16 comments

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