Also, when posting sale items all lookers have access to my profile then. even with suppresses images, the profile is open. One person got nasty to me on an FB site. Be careful.
I too received what I consider to be a fraudulent card from at best a very shady company (NetSpend) and at worst outright fraud. I've filed a complaint against them with the BBB and would love to see this shady practice shut down. Such utter crap preying on people who might think this is somehow a valuable service.
Anyone who routinely gets a $20 oil change has a horror story to tell. Whether it is having to wait for an hour, or them upcharging out the wazoo, or them not having your filter in stock after they've already started the job. Those places have high turnover, and no quality control. I can do it myself and put in full synthetic for the price that they charge for conventional or blend. And your time comparison isn't honest b/c I'm at home when changing my own oil. The commute to/from and fuel to/from needs to be added into the comparison. I jack up my car and start the oil draining (10 minutes) go into my own home and enjoy my time doing whatever I want, then 20 or 30 minutes later I return and put in the new oil and drop the jack (15 minutes). But my favorite part of the story is when it says "$300 at a minimum." I'm not even sure I could find jack and creeper that adds up to that. Autozone sells jack, jack stands, creeper, chocks, and lug wrench combined for $75. "I wouldn't trust my life to that garbage." Well, then you're an idiot. There is nothing that can go wrong with a jack stand. They are all the same. And once you have all that, you can also do your own tire rotations without having to drive to the tire store. And there are ZERO items to buy for tire rotations, and you are just tossing $30 away every time. 2 cars X 2 oil changes/year + 2 cars X 2 tire rotations/year = big savings and less frustration by doing it at home and not dealing with the oil and tire stores.
I like to make my own reverse cycle air conditioner cleaner as the commercial one can knock you out with its artificial synthetic smell. I make mine with natural eucalyptus oil - smells great and works just as well at a fraction (<25% of the price of the commercial cleaner) of the price.
I also like to use 'natural' homemade concoctions for the garden as they are less toxic to both people, beneficial pests and the local fauna.
To save on fuel, I check online for the lowest prices in the areas I will be travelling during the day and fill up at the cheapest place in these areas - no extra driving to save money.
As my partner already has the necessary tools to do the oil changes himself it works out a lot cheaper to do the oil at home because as the writer says:'Many garages will offer oil changes at a loss, so that they can inspect your car, and find problems that they can work on for a profit.' They will often find ridiculous things to 'fix' and it can be difficult to get your car back from some unscrupulous mechanics.
I am not prepared for a natural disaster because I am fortunate not to be in much danger from most things where I live. I am prepared for something like a blizzard knocking out power though.
Not really. We made it through Sandy okay, a generator would be nice but we still haven't gotten one. We do have enough food and water to make it a couple of days but that wasn't for disasters, we just always do.
We live in hurricane territory and are always prepared, especially now that the season is June until the end of November. A disaster is always a disaster no matter how much you prepare.
I would say we are about 50% prepared. I have flashlight, first aid kits, but used most of our batteries for day to day use, have a backpack with some supplies. But have no lamp or radio.
Also, when posting sale items all lookers have access to my profile then. even with suppresses images, the profile is open. One person got nasty to me on an FB site. Be careful.
I too received what I consider to be a fraudulent card from at best a very shady company (NetSpend) and at worst outright fraud. I've filed a complaint against them with the BBB and would love to see this shady practice shut down. Such utter crap preying on people who might think this is somehow a valuable service.
We have lots of supplies, but need more than the 1.5 week food supply that we have and need to get a generator.
no not ready
Besides flashlights and a little soup we are not prepared
Anyone who routinely gets a $20 oil change has a horror story to tell. Whether it is having to wait for an hour, or them upcharging out the wazoo, or them not having your filter in stock after they've already started the job. Those places have high turnover, and no quality control. I can do it myself and put in full synthetic for the price that they charge for conventional or blend. And your time comparison isn't honest b/c I'm at home when changing my own oil. The commute to/from and fuel to/from needs to be added into the comparison. I jack up my car and start the oil draining (10 minutes) go into my own home and enjoy my time doing whatever I want, then 20 or 30 minutes later I return and put in the new oil and drop the jack (15 minutes). But my favorite part of the story is when it says "$300 at a minimum." I'm not even sure I could find jack and creeper that adds up to that. Autozone sells jack, jack stands, creeper, chocks, and lug wrench combined for $75. "I wouldn't trust my life to that garbage." Well, then you're an idiot. There is nothing that can go wrong with a jack stand. They are all the same. And once you have all that, you can also do your own tire rotations without having to drive to the tire store. And there are ZERO items to buy for tire rotations, and you are just tossing $30 away every time. 2 cars X 2 oil changes/year + 2 cars X 2 tire rotations/year = big savings and less frustration by doing it at home and not dealing with the oil and tire stores.
I like to make my own reverse cycle air conditioner cleaner as the commercial one can knock you out with its artificial synthetic smell. I make mine with natural eucalyptus oil - smells great and works just as well at a fraction (<25% of the price of the commercial cleaner) of the price.
I also like to use 'natural' homemade concoctions for the garden as they are less toxic to both people, beneficial pests and the local fauna.
To save on fuel, I check online for the lowest prices in the areas I will be travelling during the day and fill up at the cheapest place in these areas - no extra driving to save money.
As my partner already has the necessary tools to do the oil changes himself it works out a lot cheaper to do the oil at home because as the writer says:'Many garages will offer oil changes at a loss, so that they can inspect your car, and find problems that they can work on for a profit.' They will often find ridiculous things to 'fix' and it can be difficult to get your car back from some unscrupulous mechanics.
Yes. I check and refresh my emergency kit every 6 months.
I am a little prepared but could be much more prepared.
No I'm not prepared at all. And I live in Southern CA which is a big earthquake place.
We have some things prepared, we need to add some other things for the house, but we do have bags in the cars!
I have slowly been preparing our household for an EMP bomb, which would be worse than any natural disaster here where we live.
Not really but I do have a lot of toilet paper!
No I'm not really prepared.
I am not prepared for a natural disaster because I am fortunate not to be in much danger from most things where I live. I am prepared for something like a blizzard knocking out power though.
Great list. My wife once forgot to grab the toiletries bag for a trip we were taking and was livid about it for days. Never again! haha
As promised, I did not know about these — very interesting. Thanks!
Too bad this newsletter wasn't in my inbox until 4:30 am...February 1st. lol
Thanks a million for waiting until the very last day to make readers aware!
I don't think we're prepared at all for a natural disaster, but we need to be.
Not really. We made it through Sandy okay, a generator would be nice but we still haven't gotten one. We do have enough food and water to make it a couple of days but that wasn't for disasters, we just always do.
Not as much as we should be.
Unfortunately no I wouldn't say I am as prepared as I need to be.
We live in hurricane territory and are always prepared, especially now that the season is June until the end of November. A disaster is always a disaster no matter how much you prepare.
I would say we are about 50% prepared. I have flashlight, first aid kits, but used most of our batteries for day to day use, have a backpack with some supplies. But have no lamp or radio.