Recent comments

  • Would You Pay? The Brave New World of Online Music   16 years 3 weeks ago

    If you own a Zune or use the Zune software, it'll show your play count, what music you listen to, what your friends listen to, you can collect badges, etc. It doesn't even matter where the music came from either.

  • Tasty, Healthy Breakfast Cookies With Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Making these now, only I didn't have any applesauce so I used canned pureed pumpkin instead. Changed up the seasoning, used some pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon. Think they'll come out ok?

    Wish I had some walnuts or something, yum :D

  • 15 Awesome Storage Solutions for Under $10   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I appreciate the kind comment!  I was surprised that so many organizing professionals were really on board with helping people solve their clutter issues in a frugal way (not requiring them to run out and buy expensive storage solutions.)  It's encouraging :)

    And I love the milk carton idea!

    Linsey Knerl

  • 15 Awesome Storage Solutions for Under $10   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I wash out plastic milk cartons and then cut them down to the right height to fit in my drawers. Great way to keep little things organized.

  • Household Cleaning Hacks That Save You Money   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I use homemade laundry detergent for all my cleaning needs-
    Washing clothes, diluted for washing floors, diluted in a spray bottle for all surface cleaning. I even use it in my dishwasher- I run one cycle with 1 tablespoon bleach (after it fills with water), then next cycle throw in 1 cup of the laundry detergent. Seems to work in my water and I do have an old dishwasher so I'm not worried about bleach damaging the seals.
    Anyway, overall this saves me a fair bit of money!

  • 15 Awesome Storage Solutions for Under $10   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I'm impressed with this post, first of all. When I saw the title, I feared it would be about cheapo plastic stuff you could run out and buy to keep your extra 'stuff' in. But no! This is a serious article about how to use stuff you can find all around the house. Just a few things to add:

    1. you can use glue and tissue paper or decorative napkins to decorate cardboard surfaces (or even wood ones) that you will have displayed in your home. Just 'paint' the tissue paper onto the cardboard surface and you can make something tacky look nice.

    2. plastic food containers are often nice and shallow (also perfect for use in the junk drawer or just a desk drawer.

    3. I use old shoe boxes and small fruit/veggie bins from the farmer's market to organize my sock/underwear drawer.

    4. I use old wine bottles for storing lentils I buy in bulk. . yeah, that's kind of random, but it works for me.

    Thanks for the great article!

  • 20 Signs That You Were Raised By TRUE Money-Savers   16 years 3 weeks ago

    We often had bread with butter & sugar, but open-face and it wasn't a sandwich, it was dessert! Often salad was a hunk of iceberg with Miracle Whip (mayo was for the rich). This was often in place of a sandwich when there was no bread or meat available. We also had tomato sandwiches with tomatoes shared from someone's garden (free) and frequently ate sandwiches with peanut butter & syrup mixed together to make it go further. Sometimes Karo syrup, sometimes just pancake syrup. We would also eat leftover rice as cereal, just heat it up with a little milk or water and add sugar or brown sugar.

  • The Underground Guide to International Volunteering (Review)   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Thanks for the review Nora. You're really touched on everything that is in there, I appreciate it.

    @guest I agree that volunteering with organizations that you have had first hand feedback from is the best way to go. Sorry to hear about your experiences. I am wary of pay-to-volunteer organizations. One of their main selling points is that they offer (or claim to offer) in-country support so it is good for you to share these stories and name the culprits.

    @AD A white cartoon-like hand reaching up out of a bunch of orange cartoon-like hands is imperialistic? Really? That's just how the image was. Maybe I should have changed the colours to green and purple or something. Oh well.... live and learn.

  • Would You Pay? The Brave New World of Online Music   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I'll stick to buying music on iTunes when I feel inclined to. I'm one of the facebook purists (though you may see that as stuck up) that uses Facebook as a social networking tool. I don't play farkle, farmville, or any of that other bullshit. Those of my friends who use 4square are idiots in my mind, begging to be robbed.

    So, no. I wouldn't be one of the people that would be interested in this, but I'm sure I'm in the minority.

  • Remove Car Dents Quickly and Cheaply   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Will these two methods work for small sharp dings? My small ding look like someone used s phillips screwdriver to bang in on my car door. They left an indent on the paint with some paint off. Some jealeous people.

  • 15 Wonderful Uses for Witch Hazel   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Love the stuff. Currently I'm using it straight from the bottle on a rather bad scrape on my right hand. I did it on a chain-link fence. It's helping with the inflamation and the pain.

    For years I've used a mix of half Witch Hazel and half fresh Cucumber juice on my face. Mix just a small quantity and refrigerate it. Dab it on over the entire freshly cleaned/washed face, follow with regular moisturizer and makeup for the day. It feels good, refreshing.

    It helps with those blotches/skin spots and refines the pores. Oh, yes. It also helps those itchy bug bites and rashes.

  • Rethinking The Early Mortgage Payoff   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Here's the deal: 1) if you pay down the mortgage, then you'll "earn" whatever interest rate that you're paying now ; but you'll tie up your money in the house and it won't be available to you for emergencies or investments; 2) if you invest now, you should have a chance to earn higher returns than 0% but there's no guarantee. Everyone's situation is different and there's no way to predict the future but if I had the money, I'd take some of the money and pay off the mortgage, invest some, and keep some cash handy.

  • 10 Tips to Save You from an ATM Skimmer   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Thanks for posting the ATM Skimmer pictures. At least your readers have an idea how it looks like.

  • The vicious Home Rental Scam – don’t get conned.   16 years 3 weeks ago

    The same happends with me these week, I was looking for an apartament to rent in Berlin and I found in then craigslist´s page a very good place to rent, better than possible to be real... 300 euros with all the fornitures and everything included...
    So, I send an email in german and they answered in english, my english is not so good and I was waiting for something in german...It was strange because I´m in Germany and looking for something here...
    So, in the email the guy said to me the same thing about Nigeria, God and missionary, but that was one more appeal... he said that he´s deaf and he was in Nigeria to work with deaf kids...
    I coulden´t belive in the history and said to my boyfriend... he found strange too and send these link to me... I´m just telling again what we know... but I think that´s important to share these kind of things.

    Best regards
    Valentina

    So,here is the email that they send to me

    Calvary Greeting To You And Your Family ,

    How are you doing today? I must tell you that it is my sincere pleasure to write you to let you know that my property is available,The monthly fee is EUR300 plus security deposit EUR300 altogether you are paying EUR600 for move-in . Utilities Included:Dryer,Washer,Heat,Gas,Light,Water and a secured parking space.Well trained pets are also allowed. Let me quickly introduce myself to you. My name is Rev Sister Veronica Regalado I am DEAF not to worry about that I can read and write properly, I inherited this from my late parent Father Moses Regalado, but right now I am now in WEST AFRICA,NIGERIA where I attend a Deaf Christian Missionary School I am single mom and am 34yrs old I reside in the property only before I went to school in WEST AFRICA,NIGERIA and I reside in a two bedroom apartment here in WEST AFRICA,NIGERIA I want to buy a new home here in WEST AFRICA,NIGERIA before June 2010 I decided to rent the property because its has been empty for sometimes now and I have decided to look for a carint tenant to take good care of my Lovely apartment I promised my DAD to take very good care of it I will not like to experience what I experienced from my last tenant, he destroyed most of our valuable home appliances ,and I know how much I spent to repair the things our last tenant destroyed to be very honest with you, a whole lot of people are contacting me regarding our House but I am not sure of who to accept due to our past experience I have been taking advantage of because of my Disability I am taking my time to look for a responsible and a very honest tenant that will take proper care of my home although I am a very woman due to the nature of Education , but if I find a responsible tenant that can promise to take care of my home I would rent it out to he/she . If you are really sure that you want my home for rent then fill out the rent application form below and get back to me with the filled rent form via email as soon as possible.Then we can arrange on how the keys and documents of the home will be sent over to you DHL via express courier service .

    =========== RENT APPLICATION FORM ============
    PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
    Please answer these questions below if you are Interested
    1)Your Full Name_________________________ ____________
    2)Present Address(where you reside now) & Phone ________________________ __
    3)How old are you___________________________ __
    4)Are you married _ _____________________________ _____
    5)How many people will be living in the apartment __ _________________________
    6)Do you have a pet ____ __________________________ ___________
    7)Do you have a car _______ _______________________ ____________
    8)Occupation ____________ _________________
    9)How long are you willing to stay _______ ____________________-
    10)When do you intend to move in ___
    11)(EUR600)one month rent and refundable security deposit
    ?______________________________

    Type: 1 Bedroom apartment
    Surface: 470 sq. feet / 46 m2
    French floor: 4th floor
    Elevator: No
    Code: Yes
    Capacity: 4 people
    Bed(s): 1 double + 1 comfortable sofa bed
    Kitchen: Fully equipped.
    Washing machine: Yes
    Dryer: Yes
    Bathroom: with shower
    Telephone: Yes
    Color TV: Yes
    Cable for TV: Yes
    Internet ready: Yes
    Hi-Fi CD player: Yes
    Sheets & Towels: Yes
    Amenities:
    Linens, Towels, Good Heaters, Iron and Iron Board, Hair Dryer, Vacuum Cleaner, Fans, Equipped Kitchen with Cooking and Eating Utensils, Toaster, Coffee Maker, Kettle.

    I don't ever want to take the risk of putting my home in care of an agent again, because my last agent recived three months rent from a tenant and didn't give me the money since I am in WEST AFRICA,NIGERIA not only that he rented my apartment to a guy who provided a fake credit report and was not capable of renting my home so you can see where I am coming from that I have suffered lot due to my disability people take advantage of me , since I am a very busy person, I just have to be very careful with the kind of person I rent my house to, but if you can assure me that if I let you rent our House, you will take proper care of it, I will be glad to make you my new tenant to be.As soon as I hear from you with the rent application form filled, Expect to read from you soon, once again thank you very much for the time in reading this email I just have to explain in details .

    Yours Sincerely ,
    Rev. Sister Veronica Regalado .

  • CitiMortgage Told Me to Default on My Loan   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I understand your situation, as having worked for a financial institution before...But too many individuals are lazy and only follow what other people say.

    Homes are not the best investments as media and financial knuckle heads tell you. You are buying/investing in property that is initially owned by the banks.....Please look at your mortgage after your name as you will see 'tenant'...that is why you pay taxes on property.(they all work together:IRS/banks/fed)

    If you do not have allodial title, which means you own the earth that your property sits on, you have to pay taxes on it. As for any mortgage, you are paying between 2-3 times more for interest than the original listing price of the property(why else do we have 15-year mortgages and 30 year mortgages, DUH!!!)....plus for anyone who stupidly assumes that upkeep and renovations, ect. after purchasing a home, that they are guaranteed a profit, please think again. Unless you are doing a short sell or rental, get some common sense.

    Please do your homework...The banks never lose money....That's why they lend 10 dollars for every dollar they take in.

    My advice is to liquidate all you can and keep a stash out of banks. switch the mortgage to one spouse's name and Default on the mortgage. stay it out until you have to leave your home. keep a job, delete automatic deposit...and RENT!

  • Why You Don’t Need Mortgage Life Insurance   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I was recently working with a broker on two hard money loans that had been "conditionally approved" with hard money placement inc. I was told the loans would close within 14 business days and that I needed to deposit $2400 right away for "due diligence fee" in order to get them working on the loan. After 24 business days had came and went with the same answer, a few more days, I realized I had been scammed. The broker claimed he couldn't contact the lender. After I learned the broker had been lying and stringing us along I emailed Marty Sweeten to get the real story. Marty gave me a brief explanation that it was the brokers fault for not telling us we didnt pass the value part of there due diligence process. Marty said he would have another department in his company reopen our files if I wanted. I said yes and emailed the name of the person he told me I needed to contact. I emailed the contact Sarah for her to tell me that she would need appraisals, 1003's and other financial statements. Isn't that what the $2400 due diligence was for? I emailed Marty once again to ask. Well you can guess what happened. Never heard from this company again. I am looking to talk to anyone who this has happened to so I can file a lawsuit as well.

  • How Long Can You Stay in Your Home After You Stop Paying the Mortgage?   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Yup, when my parents bought in the late 90s mortgage interest rates of 7% was considered really great.  Right now the mortgage rates are still at historical lows, and that is mostly due to the fact that the government is still trying to prop up the market.  In a way, the wave of foreclosures right now is actually keeping the interest rates down because the government is just trying harder to soften the blow of these foreclosures. 

  • Homemade Gluten-Free Oreo Cookies   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Thanks so much!

    My sister and I love Oreos but last year she found out she was allergic to gluten. Sadly our Oreo dunking, eating, and twirling days were over. But now you saved the day! I`m going to have to make some and put them to the test of dunking and twirling. Now she can actually eat them and I get to beat her at eating them again!

    Thanks again love all the recipes,
    Matt

  • Volunteer to Travel: 11 Opportunities for Free or Very Cheap Travel   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Hi Shaun

    You may want to check out www.links4change.com

    They have numerous placement options worldwide and they offer a free consultation to discuss your options.

    Hope you find something

  • “I see dumb people” – Learn to cold-read like a so-called “psychic.”   16 years 3 weeks ago

    acording to the theory of subjective validation the more adept you are at utilizing your own logical processess the more likely you are to believe in this whole thing. the same process by which we understand a sentence or poetry is at work here, and thus many so called fortune tellers actually believe that this is real because there are results.

    i believe the people running their scam like a business are the ones that are fully aware of the trick or gimmick. while there are others out there who meditate and burn candles and hear stories of their grandma having a gift, who are commited and honest people who have been scammed as well. really the honest ones learn these gimmicks under the guise of enhancing or getting in touch with their own talent, and the terminology is completely different. they know nothing of the rainbow ruse, or barnum statements.

    again... the more you use your logic the easier it is to be led into subjective validation...

  • Rethinking The Early Mortgage Payoff   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I have $180,000 mortgage and $90,000 in a money market making $0.00. What should I do?
    Pay down the mortgage big time or invest the 90K somewhere else and keep the mortgage?
    Thanks.
    Mike T

  • 10 Tips to Save You from an ATM Skimmer   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I would also say that probably the worst place to use one is at a gas station, especially a low traffic gas station. The only people watching these are the reps from Diebold, etc. who come out to change the paper or add money when the ATM alerts them for maintenance.

    Probably the safest place to use an atm? The casino! As a bank employee, I happen to know that all of the atm's we have in casinos are serviced at least twice daily due to the high volume of cash being withdrawn. Plus the casino employees watch the atm's for any sign of trouble, because they want to keep people playing, and to play, you gotta have money.

    Of course, using it at the casino might not be too safe for your bank account in other ways. :)

  • 10 Tips to Save You from an ATM Skimmer   16 years 3 weeks ago

    We had a huge scam here in Windsor. They actually replaced the debit card readers at two fast food restaurants. They didn't need cameras because they were capturing the PINs with Blue Tooth technology. The bad guy was sitting out in the parking lot apparently. I live in Ontario, the crooks in Quebec.
    They went home to Quebec. They waited two or three weeks, cloned the cards, handed them out to a number of people and synchronized when they hit the bank ATMs to withdraw the money. That way, all the money got taken before the banks realized that there is an unusual amount of activity going on regarding bank accounts in Ontario being accessed in Quebec.
    The crooks just keep getting more sophisticated. I'm trying to use cash as much as possible.

  • Ask the Readers: Do you Procrastinate? (Win an $89 Tax Prep Prize!)   16 years 3 weeks ago

    Hi, Last fall I was in Half Price bookstore and saw a fun daytimer for 2010 called The Procrastinators Daytimer, did I buy it that day? NO. And when I went back all gone and they don't reorder out-of-stocks so out of luck! I would be lucky if I won a gift card. Maybe Amazon has the daytimer for 2011 then I could get a jump on it. Do not put off taxes if am due a refund but if I owe will wait til funds are in the bank account closest to 4/15.

  • How to Sell Your Hair for Cash   16 years 3 weeks ago

    I am interested in selling my hair. My hair is light brown, approximately 20 inches long and 3 inches thick. I see you cut the hair you buy. I am in St. Louis. Where are you located in the midwest?