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The winter weather in our area, like other places in the country, has been pretty bone-chilling the past few days.  Not nearly as bad as in the northeast, but still chilly.

We learned the hard way a few years back that we weren’t quite prepared for a multi-day loss of power.  We had kind neighbors, and that got us through.  The experience motivated us to prepare a bit so that we could be the kind neighbors the next time around.

Our heat was zapped … literally

This weekend, we had gale-force winds on top of sub-zero temperatures.  The winds caused power fluctuations at our place.  We lost power for only about 15 seconds, but a surge blew out the blower motor in our furnace.

We had thought that the main electronic component in these was a capacitor, but more recent models, like ours, have brushless motors controlled by integrated circuits.  These electronically commutated motors, or ECMs, are more efficient than the older models.

It’s a good idea to talk through big purchases (with your spouse, or with a knowledgeable friend) carefully before buying.  The bigger the purchase, the more discussion there should be.  You can save money and avoid costly mistakes with discussion.

I learned a lesson recently about not doing this with a smaller purchase.  It cost me a couple of hours and $30.  Here’s what happened.

Frozen chickens don’t lay eggs

My wife has gotten a reputation in our local circles as being “the crazy chicken lady.”  We now have not one, but two coops for our eleven chickens.  She built the second one because the first was made out of plastic parts, and was difficult to keep at a reasonable temperature going into the winter.  (Egg production goes way down if the temperature swings get too big, as I understand it.  It stresses out the chickens.)

In-store fights on Black Friday are becoming as much tradition as Thanksgiving.

Does the thought of scrapping it out with a stranger over a $9.99 DVD player appeal to you? Me neither.

Thankfully, no one is going to reach into their computer to overturn your Amazon shopping cart or sever your internet connection.  I’ve managed to stay out of the malls and big stores for a few years now, and I can’t say that I miss the craziness!

Remember to click through to spend less!

A hefty chunk of my email from businesses the past couple of weeks has been Black Friday and Cyber Monday related.

Do you like to be teased?

If you’re seven, probably not.  If you’re twenty-seven and with your spouse or significant other … well, I’ll leave you two alone.

Like everything else, it depends completely on the context.  And though businesses don’t tease the way a couple of love birds would, they do sweeten the pot a bit to encourage you to pull out your credit card.

Simple Financial Lifestyle (follow him on Twitter) wrote recently about financial teasers.  Although the title says “NO!” the rest of the article says, “Weeelll, let me think about it.”  And that’s a great way to approach these kinds of extraordinary offers.

The tease just isn’t that teasy after a while