Recent comments

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I had made the comment (56 I think) and read the reply about getting a side of beef which got me thinking. As somebody stated part of the prob with ground beef these days is the E Coli prob (not just the lack of flavor, odor, etc). I come from a family of farmers and until Mom moved away all the livestock was was buthchered in-house (so to speak) and still is. I neer saw and don't care too. I live in a NJ town next to Princeton now and theres not too many self cow slaughterings going on that I know of (though plenty of deeer). Well to my point now, are there actually places where people can purchase whole side of beef , perhaps as a co-op. other than out of the back of the truck that drives up on a Saturday afternoon? We have butchershops in our town , two good ones that Im aware of. Is it much more economical is the REAL queestion?

  • 20 Signs That You Were Raised By TRUE Money-Savers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Here in Hawaii electricity is about four times as expensivde as the mainland. We hang up our clothes, too. I love sheets dried outside.

  • How to Save 20-100% on Textbooks   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Another major component of textbook cost is the amount of money that you can get for your used textbooks. Almost all colleges will offer to buyback your textbooks for some amount (assuming they are using the textbook the following semester). As I am sure most of you know, professors change the textbooks constantly or the campus store does not offer much.

    I would suggest you try www.bookjingle.com. You can simply enter in the ISBN of the book you are trying to sell and it will return an instant offer. You can then visit your campus store knowing that you have another offer. You can then decide to sell your books to the place with the best price. If you choose bookjingle, they also offer a free shipping label. I think it is a great way to sell used books.

    As I see it, you have 2 factors that determine your overall textbook cost: 1) the cost to acquire your textbook and 2) the amount that you receive when are done with your textbook. There were some excellent ideas about #1 but I think #2 is also very important.

    I hope this helps.

  • Netbooks Guide: How to Buy the Best New Netbook   16 years 15 weeks ago

    @Carrie: The HP mini 311 currently has the best graphics card, so you can watch HD video. The one I have (Toshiba NB205) can run Hulu video fine as well, if you don't mind the occasional choppiness. I believe running video also drains battery life a lot faster, so be sure to get one with a 6 cell battery if you're planning to stay unplugged.

  • How to Survive (and Thrive!) in a Job You Hate   16 years 15 weeks ago

    i've just spent over an hour reading the article and all your comments (while having to do work in between, of course). i can't believe so many people hate their jobs--me included. every day, i wake up wanting to just quit and walk away. but like most of you, i hesitate because i need the money. i come to work every day feeling like a prisoner to my paycheck.

    i used to love my job. in fact, i've given up a lot of opportunities to work on what i am working on now, because the cause is a good one. but i feel like the kind of work i am now doing has just killed all of my brain cells as well as my enthusiasm. i feel like i am in a room full of lemmings, pursuing mindless tasks to mindlessly follow a mindless pursuit. i am exhausted arguing to do things differently.

    as per Sarah's article, every day, i try to remember why i wanted to do this work in the first place, to keep me motivated. the cause remains to be good, but the frustration is too much and no longer feels worth it.

    so why am i still here?

    it's because i used to think this was the best job in the world, and i'm still miserable. so how could i possibly be happy doing something else?

  • TiVo for the Web: Content Without the Ads   16 years 15 weeks ago

    It's not necessarily the ads that trouble me, it's the page size and the occasional lack of margins. Some pages also won't let me advance by using the space bar, so making use of Readability lets me knit while reading, pausing to hit the space bar instead of grabbing the mouse to scroll. Some ads are troublesome - the ones that wiggle just out of my reading area will catch my attention, so I lose my place and have to try again, only to have that wiggling happen again...

    I like Readability. :)

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I make a beef and bean pie with a pound of (browned) ground beef, a can of bean with bacon soup, a can of kidney beans, a can of black beans, a cup of salsa, and some garlic and onions and paprika. Mix all and fill prepared pie crust (bottom and top). Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes (or until crust is golden).

    A simpler recipe is to mix ground beef, a can of beans, and barbecue sauce and top with a Bisquick crust.

    Also, taco soup with ground beef, onions, 3 cans chili beans, 1 can corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can green chilies, 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cups water, taco seasoning packet, ranch dressing seasoning packet -- very flavorful and freezes well!

  • Make Easy Money and Learn a Thing or Two About Website Design   16 years 15 weeks ago

    It's been awhile since the original post.

    I wonder if anyone has gotten any work.

    I spent a good amount of time getting my audition review in (the phone process didn't work, so I upgraded my computer for sound and that review was able to upload).

    I follow their tweet's so I see they are still active, but all I ever got was an email reply that I'd be added to their tester backlog.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Salt & pepper 1 1/2 - 2lbs of hamburger meat. Cook on low for about 6 hrs in a slow cooker or crock pot (doesn't work as effectively in the oven).

    Makes hamburger taste like roast beef.

    Our family of six loves it.

  • Funny Taste Mystery: Using Google for Medical Diagnoses   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I am so happy that I found this site. I just made some homemade pesto and it tasted so good that I kept eating pasta for 2 days straight. Now i can't get this awful taste out of my mouth. And those f$%#n pine nuts were from Whole Foods too! I'm on my fifth day of this awful taste. I'm crossing my fingers that it will end soon.

  • Make Your DVD Player Region-Free in Seconds   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I am trying to make my dvd player region free does anyone no the code it is a Jvc xvsa602 Avcompulink I bought some kids cartoons for my boys from united kingdom and It wont play them thanks for your help

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Here's a cheap dish that my husband and I make on occasion;

    1lb Ground beef
    Cream of Mushroom soup

    Use ground beef to make hamburgers on the George Foreman grill. Put cooked hamburgers in a casserole dish and cover with Cream of Mushroom soup. Cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes at 350.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 15 weeks ago

    1 lb hamburger
    Homemade (or jarred) alfredo sauce
    1/4 c chopped onions
    1 bag frozen California mix (broccoli/cauliflower/carrots)

    Brown hamburger w/onions. Make alfredo sauce (or open jar!) and add to hamburger. Add California mix and heat through.

  • Remove Car Dents Quickly and Cheaply   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Yep I agree. Ever heard of the Z-machine. It can liquify a diamond at intense pressures!

  • Knowing When to Walk Away: Financial Planning for an Unknown Ending   16 years 15 weeks ago

    45 years old this week, wife is 51. We have 2.2 million in cd's at about 4.2% No mortgage, kids college paid off. No credit card bills. $300 k in retirement. Are we too young. We live rather cheap and have worked our butts off! Any life advise or money advise would be great

    Thanks, PL

  • What's Faster for Mortgage Payoff: $100/Month Extra or 1 Payment/Year Extra?   16 years 15 weeks ago

    what is the penalty for paying a 30year loan out after just 10 years , should banks or building societys advise you the best way to do this or is'nt it in their best interest.

  • Tasty, Healthy Breakfast Cookies With Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I have a batch of these in the oven right now. As I had my children mixing them I had to run out and check on the egg situation. Then I realised that yes, a mashed banana is commonly used as an egg replacement, so with three in it the recipe should be fine.

    My batch has the cinnamon plus a pinch of cardamom, cranberries, sultanas and toasted almonds. And I used brown sugar for the flavor, like I do with normal porridge.

  • Quickly Remove Scratches From CDs and DVDs   16 years 15 weeks ago

    most of my games are scratched because i layed my 360 flat on the ground(make sure you don't do this or it will result in scratched discs.) And i cant wait to try this thank you

  • Goal Setting, Defined and Deconstructed   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Once you've created your goals, the next - and probably the most important step - is to actively monitor them.
    Research has shown that self-monitoring of your goals is the key to achieving them, no matter what they are. As well as reinforcing the motivation to succeed at a goal, and giving more attention to it, it also creates awareness into how you are progressing and what areas you need to improve. GoalHappy allows you to do exactly this. It also allows you to share certain goals with friends to get extra encouragement.

  • How to Save 20-100% on Textbooks   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I love bigwords.com. You search by title, author, ISBN and so on. It searches all the major sites and many lesser-known ones, as well, for the cheapest price. It factors in shipping costs and special deals, and then breaks down the results into cheapest individually, and cheapest buying all from one place. (Usually the cheaper of the two, considering shipping.) It's never failed me!

    However, when I lost my work study (and therefor lost my job) I couldn't afford that anymore, so I started checking them out of the library and using Inter-Library Loan (ILL). To avoid late fees, I would scan the entire book in the library and then print them out and keep them in a massive three-ring notebook. This might not be a cheap solution for some, but my school has free unlimited printing. Scanning them into a PDF got around the cost for making copies, which would have added up rather quickly.

  • Is a Prepaid Debit Card Really Cheaper and Better than a Bank Debit Card?   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I have had a netspend visa prepaid card for about a year and other than one issues of them paying something without the money being in my account, but witout an overdraft fee like a bank, I love my card. I do not have to worry about overdaft fees that constanly keep me in the hole, I'm able to get direct deposit from my employer, I pay the 9.95/month fee that I dont see on the day I want it to come out, and that's it, I use it just like a bank card with out the hassel. If i cant get to the internet to check my bal. then i can get in a text for free, if I'm low on money I can get an relative to load money on my card less the western union or money gram from anywhere in the states, so I would go with this prepaid card anyday over a bank. oh yeah there are no hidden fees, if the 9.95 is not in there when they go to draft there is no fees for it not being in there they just draft it out when there is money, and you can stop it at anytime.

  • How to Save 20-100% on Textbooks   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I forgot to say, I think that the average student ends up spending way too much on books through sheer laziness. Unless it's a brand new book, or a new edition that's substantially changed from the previous one, in which case having the newest edition is essential, there is absolutely no reason to walk into the university bookstore and pay full price. But, every fall and spring, that's what I see so many students doing - walk in, list in hand, and buy every book, because that gets it finished quickly and they don't have to think too hard about it. They don't consider whether a used copy can be bought cheaply online, or whether it's even a book they'll need to read all of (if you're only going to be assigned one chapter, borrow a copy and scan that one chapter or spend a couple dollars photocopying i!), or if they'll only be using it for one week of class, etc. Laziness, pure and simple, and thus the crazy costs pile up quickly.

  • How to Save 20-100% on Textbooks   16 years 15 weeks ago

    University libraries don't like to keep textbooks on hand, because professors change up their required books frequently, new editions come out every year, etc., although many do provide access to e-book versions of texts. But, you can borrow ANYTHING through InterLibrary Loan and similar state-wide lending programs (OhioLINK, MeLCat in Michigan, I-share listed above, and so on). The only catch with this is that you have to time it right, so that the books get there when by the time you need them, and you make sure that you can renew them or get another copy until you're finished with them.

    I never spend more than ~$100 for a semesters' worth of books. If I need to buy books, either ones I know I'll want to keep, or ones I can't find online or get in time through the library, my first stop is a search site like bookfinder.com, which searches sites like Amazon, AbeBooks, Barnes & Noble, eBay, half.com, etc., to see who has the lowest cost for a used copy (including shipping costs). Many schools also have some kind of online classified postings with people selling old books. In many college towns, there are also non-university bookstores that have better prices than the school store.

    Honestly, my most expensive "school supply" is ink for printing at home, &/or costs for printing and copy services on campus. You'd think the student fees would cover that, but...........

  • How to Launder Money   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I truly wish this was wider known knowledge. This exact situation happened to me a year or so ago and I'm only now fully realizing what I avoided by taking too long to bring the check to the bank. I did not know what money laundering was and how it could affect me or even that someone asking for a check back for an excess balance after a purchase was suspicious. Scary, scary, scary...

  • Best of Personal Finance Roundup: 5 Ways to Reduce How Much You Need to Retire by $300,000   16 years 15 weeks ago

    ...for inclusion in your roundup!

    ~Jen