Dealing with computer problems

As you know I am not one who likes to mess with computer problems. It is not that I can't do complex software or hardware fixes on computer, it is just that I don't like to do them. I built my first IBM clone back in 1981. Since then I have had to fix a laptop AC plug by replacing it. The hardest part about that fix was taking the laptop apart and putting it back together again. It had so many small screws to hold it together it was unreal!

Since going to the nearest city with a competent computer repair company is a major ordeal I would be so happy if there was a home computer repair technician I could call on.

Computer problems

Our family has long since abandoned the desk top computer in favor of the laptop. Our first laptop in the family was a Compaq bought back in 2000. The thing had it's share of problems, many of which I can attribute to the Windows ME system. I gave up on that one in 2005 and bought an Averatec which was a nice little notebook with some style. It started to act up after 2 years and I took it in to be repaired. While it was in the shop for a day I bought another Compaq laptop (mainly because it was cheap) and gave the Averatec to my daughter (she was thrilled). Now a year later the Averatec is still going strong and the HP Compaq had to be sent back to HP for repair. HP thinks the mother board is fried. So now I am back to the old desktop we had sitting in the back room until my Compaq comes back from HP.

One of the things I hate doing is having to deal with software or hardware issues when it comes to computers. Printers, now they are another pain in the butt.

Saving money on medical needs

With the rising costs of medical insurance and out of pocket co-pays there has got to be a solution to cutting our monthly medical expenses. With more and more people finding themselves unemployed they either have to choose to have no medical insurance coverage or pay for their own personal medical insurance. Even if you work you often have to pay part of the insurance premium for your coverage which is taken out of your shrinking paycheck.

I was paying for my own medical insurance for at least 3 years. The family income was about $200 more than the maximum threshold for government aid and the bare bones medical insurance with high deductible that I purchased was $260 a month for me and my daughter. So with the government regulations on limits we were now $60 under their monthly threshold and we still had to pay for our own prescriptions out of pocket since the medical insurance I bought did not cover them.

Walmart had not started their $4.00 prescription plan at that time and even now they do not cover some of the medications that I take monthly under that $4.00 plan. I wish I had known about ordering my prescriptions from an online pharmacy. I have always been leary of ordering such a personal item such a health product online but it is the wave of the future to have online prescriptions.

I am so glad that I don't have an expensive medical problem in the family such as ED or high cholesterol because some of the newer fancy drugs like levitra can cost you an arm and a leg.

Cell phone providers: watch out!

Us cell phone users may get a break after all. New regulations on the horizon to help out consumers. Watch the video for more info.

Making money selling cell phones

I have been visiting message boards that have topics such as technology and there is now a way that people are making money by buying and selling cell phones. Here is the latest way to make money with cell phones:

• Look for a great deal on a pay as you go type of cell phone - the kind with no contracts
• Either get a free phone with minutes or pay a very small amount for the phone plus lots of minutes
• Use the phone for about a month then put the phone with the minutes on eBay and sell it
• Buy another phone and do the same thing

People are making the money by buying a phone with minutes for under $20.00. They are using the phone for about a month then selling it again for almost the same or more than they paid for it. Some of the phones have 1000's of minutes on them and that is why they are selling so well.

Most of the people that are doing it end up with a cell phone bill of maybe $6.00 a month for 1000's of minutes worth of use. Some are selling the cell phones on eBay and some at the local flea markets for cash. I just paid $14.99 for a pay as you go phone with 600 minutes at net10, so I know the deals are out there.

Free sunglasses

I was never one to pass up a great deal, especially if the item was free. This one is just in time for the summer. It is free designer sunglasses! Now before you go overboard and think it is a totally free offer that is not quite true. You do have to pay shipping and handling. So don't say I didn't warn you. That being said the sunglass site does have a very large and I do mean large selection of glasses to choose from. These are not prescription sunglasses so if you do wear regular glasses these free glasses are not for you.

Now that summer is almost here and in fact for many parts of the country (USA) the sun has been around at full force for the last few months, it might be time to get some FREE sunglasses.

Small cars are a HOT item

Well I thought I would never see the day when an old commuter car would fetch more now than it did when it was new nearly 17 years ago. That is what has been happening on eBay and all over the place at dealerships across the country. If the car is small and gets more than 30 MPG then the price of it has just jumped. One TV station in Portland Oregon reported that a local dealership added $17K to the regular retail price of a new hybrid car just because they could get it. My little Chevy Prism must be worth it's weight in gold by now.

Credit cards - the good and bad

While I am always stressing the importance of weening ourselves from credit cards they can serve a useful purpose. I keep one credit card for the sole purpose of shopping online. The total max balance for the card is set at $300 and I prefer it that way. It keeps crooks from using it to charge outrageous amounts. Most of my online purchases are much lower than $100 and the card also limits me from spending too much on a online shopping whim.

The bad thing about credit cards is that if you don't shop around for them you can get burned on some outrageous fees. Stay away from those credit cards that charge a monthly fee. I had one of those and dumped it very quickly. They boast how the interest rate is only 9% or less but they get you with a $6.00 a month fee just for the privilege of having the card. If you don't carry a balance how is the $6.00 fee going to help you? It doesn't so dump the card before you pay close to $72 a year in fees.

How does a hybrid car work?

If you are curious to see how that hybrid car you have been wanting really works, then you are in luck, here is a video all about it.

This is how REAL money is made

I thought I would throw this video on the blog for fun. Learn all about how money is printed, legally.

Help for the small business

Inventory control doesn't have to be a hard task for the small business owner. Nowadays even bar coding your inventory can be easy. Bar coding your stock is no longer for the big retail store. It can now be used for manufacturing to keep track of items used in production. Another aspect of inventory control is making sure yours does not wander off by it's self. Low cost wireless security cameras are fast becoming the solution to many small businesses. I hate to say it but many small businesses can go under due to a theft problem that is not solved. Dealing with customers shoplifting to your own shipping department stealing items can be very hard on your bottom line. I remember about 20 years ago several people told me about how they use to get a job working the loading dock of a large department store (the one I remember was Sears) and write fake purchase orders for their friends to use to pick up TV and appliances. Those items went straight to the black market to be sold for drug money. As far as I know they never got caught. So be warned, use security and track your inventory.

Saving on your engery bill

I think we all know about changing light bulbs for lower wattages or switching from incandescent to florescent to lower our utility bill but here are a few more to lower your energy costs.

• Cook more meals with your crock pot. It has a much lower energy usage than your oven or stove top and the bonus is the fact you don't have to watch it.
• Use you microwave oven more than your regular oven. Even pre-cooking whole potatoes in the microwave and then placing them in the regular oven for 15 minutes will cut your energy usage in half on baking potatoes in the skin.
• Switching from electric power to natural gas for the clothes dryer will save more money than any other appliance in the house.

The 3 largest energy usage appliances in your home are the clothes dryer, central heating and the air conditioner. If you can upgrade any one of those to a more energy efficacy model it would save you money in the long run.

Signs of the times

Have you thought about finding another way to get to work?

Several things not to do when short on cash

I know that times are hard but don't go around making them harder on yourself. There are several things you must never and I mean never do when you are short on cash. Here is a simple list and the whys are explained:

• Never use a "payday" loan place or a "next day" loan type of place. They will charge you fees up the ying-yang and an interest rate of 30% or more. Don't ever use them or else you will end up owing much more than you borrowed or could ever pay back. They are the modern day loan sharks that don't break your legs when you don't pay it back but ruin what little credit you have left.
  
• Don't ruin your credit score! Your credit score is used for much more than credit cards. Companies do run credit checks on prospective employees and will weed out the ones with poor credit ( a practice I would like to see banned). Car, home and some medical insurance companies will base your insurance rates on your credit score and not on your health, driving record or location of your home ( another unfair practice).
• Don't be tempted to do something illegal like growing pot, MJ or cooking up some other street drug. Once you are caught your life is forever rotten.
• Don't buy into any get quick rich scheme. Even at $29.99 they are usually a waste of money and $29.99 could buy you some gas to go job hunting or pay for your internet access fee.
• Don't ever think when you buy something frivolous, "it is only $10 or $20 and that won't break the bank", because some day it just might. Those little unnecessary purchases mound up over time and you can go broke because of it - I personally know 3 people that did.

Most of all hang in there - things will get better.

Finding out the value of a used item

You have decided to sell some stuff either online or in a newspaper classified. So now is the big question - what is it worth? If you have a used computer, musical instrument or another item you maybe in luck. There is a website that tracks the "bluebook" value on used items. This website lists many other items besides used computer prices and you should check it out before you list your item for sale.

Knowing the blue book price on an item is a great place to start when listing items for sale on eBay as well. Not only is the website a great tool for sellers but as a buyer it will help you find out if an item is over priced or a bargain.

We have a dumb ass for a President

Bush, our President has got to be awarded the "dumb ass" award of the year. Last week he made a trip to Saudi Arabia to try and get the oil sheiks to increase oil production. That has got to be the dumbest idea that man has ever done this year so far. Who ever came up with "let's go and beg for more oil", idea?

Let's get the facts straight about the oil in the USA. Here are the facts:

• only 10% of all oil used in the USA is imported
• most imported oil in the USA comes from Canada - yes Canada!
• the next largest volume of imported oil comes from Venezuela
• only about 1/3 or less of the total imported oil comes from the mid-eastern countries of the world

The oil companies are playing the American public by saying the problem (rising oil prices) is caused by the Saudi Arabians when in fact it is not. No wonder the sheiks said no to Bush and practically laughed at him when he made his plea. Let's do the USA a favor and keep Bush at the White House for the rest of his term before he causes more problems.

The second factor is the price of a barrel of oil. That price is set by people trading on the stock market for oil. This happens in the commodities market and happens to wheat, corn and livestock too. The commodities market has very little to do with supply and demand since it is purely based on speculation.

Now the big question that is on everyone's mind - will the price of gasoline at the pump go back down? It will when the demand for it goes down. If people buy less the price will drop down to where people are willing to buy more. You know - supply and demand -duh! My answer is yes the price will start to go back down and within the next few weeks at that. There has been a marked slow down in the demand at the pump already, people just can't afford $4.00 a gallon for gas, their wages are not that high.

Which web host is for you?

There must be thousands of web hosting companies to choose from. All of them have a wide range of prices and offers. They also have a varying degree of server reliability which to me is the most important factor for a website that is your major source of income. There is a website that has done some research on the various offers and has a rating system for them. Right now the website is fairly new but they also have a large section on helpful articles and tutorials on websites. The information can be found on their multiple domain web hosting page. Their main web page is here and I could not find a link to their helpful articles from there (like I said they are still new).

I found their section on Front Page hosting very interesting since I am not very familiar with Front Page. I am more of the type that likes to use the online website design tools that come with my hosting package.

Have you changed your commuter mode?

There are reports coming in from all over the country mentioning how the commute traffic has been getting lighter. Interviews with commuters have found that many of them are getting out of their vehicles and either using mass transit, bicycling or switching to Vespas or some other high mpg vehicles. Sales of SUV's and trucks are extremely slow at both new and used car dealers. I commute 12 miles to work on country back roads and if it was not for the fact that I encounter logging trucks almost every trip I would love to have a scooter to commute on. Right now my small car gets about 30 miles to the gallon so I should not complain but it is now costing $30 to $35 to fill the gas tank each week. I live in part of the USA where the price is still under $3.75 a gallon and I do not envy those who are paying over $4.00 a gallon right now.

Saving money by "doing it yourself"

Most people can save money by fixing something that needs repair rather than running out and buying a replacement. I am the electronic savvy one in the family. If it can be soldered, mended or re-programed I am the one to ask. The mechanical stuff my husband does. To let you know how long I have been doing the "electronic repair thing", I grew up in a household that was headed by by father the electronics engineer and my mother the electronics assembler. Naturally when PC's came into their own, many of my friends had parents that were in on the cutting edge of the technology. It was quite common to get computer parts and make your own computer. I, in fact built my first one in the early 1980's with pirated chips (yep we had access to that stuff too). Times have changed for computers and you don't have to do that kind of stuff anymore but there is a company that offers a kit with instructions on How to Build a Computer. It is a great way to get what you want in a computer at a much lower cost than retail. It is something worth looking into to save some money.

Some ways to help the environment are full of bull

Tonight on the ABC Nightly News there was the second installment of the "2 ways you can help the environment". One of the ways they suggested was to update your refrigerator. The reporter mentioned how the newer refrigerators are more energy efficient than the older models. That is probably true but what happens to the old refrigerator? Into a landfill? Or abandoned on some vacant lot? Now if everyone went out and bought a new refrigerator then mining for iron ore would increase to supply the steel thus causing more damage to the environment. I wish the reporter would step back and take a look at the whole picture. He never did mention that with the economy the way it is today, not many people can run out and buy a new refrigerator. I just shake my head at the suggestions that people come up with during an energy crunch.

Bankruptcy

Lets talk about that ugly word bankruptcy. Let me first say that my family has gone through it about 5 years ago now and we are better off now financially than we were back before declaring bankruptcy. Bankruptcy can be the beginning for some people, a fresh new beginning.

No doubt, bad credit can ruin you in the long run. Today bankruptcy knows no classes and no age. It can affect anyone and anytime. Sometimes bankruptcy turns out to be a viable option for anyone who has incurred debt that he/she cannot manage.

Filing bankruptcy is a hard solution that usually comes when you have tried all other options and it seems that there is no way out of debts. You may think that declaring bankruptcy you only ruin your credit. But mind, though you will have to take pains to recover strong financial position, now you are free from your past debts and have a chance to take a fresh start. A lot of people are afraid to declare bankruptcy and keep on struggling with unmanageable debt, because it is believed that once you have bad credit you will never be able to improve it. Of course, repairing credit is a long and hard process. But keep in mind, if you get a credit card for bad credit, you will manage to repair your credit history in several months. Also, filing bankruptcy doesn’t mean that you are uneducated low class citizen who can never be trusted and eligible for a new credit. Having declared bankruptcy, you only admit that you are not able to overcome your debt and need some help.

Even if you don't decide on filing bankruptcy it always pays to keep an eye on your credit with a free credit report.

Depression during hard times

Depression has got to be the number one enemy of hardworking individuals when money gets tight. Families will bicker over the smallest of details and unimportant issues. Some people will try to escape the growing number of phone calls from bill collectors by drinking or using drugs which in both cases only makes matters worse. If you have the wolf at your door so to speak, the first thing to realize is that you will survive the ordeal. You can't be thrown into jail for not paying your bills 0 debtors prison was in the 19th century and earlier times. You will survive!

Car loans

Not everyone can walk into a car dealership and plunk down cash for their next vehicle. Of course if you keep reading this blog you might be able to do that one day. Unfortunately some people are at the mercy of Bad Credit Auto Loans and are caught between a rock and a hard place to find the best interest rate on a Car Loan. The best advise is to shop around with financing options before you enter the dealership. Try and steer away from using their financing unless of course the interest rate beats what you have been approved of already.

Right now there are some great deals to be found on new and almost new cars since car makers are hurting from the gasoline situation. Remember to look at the MPG rating in the vehicle you plan on getting and don't rely on the mpg rating that is on the sticker on the window. Research the mpg on one of the many consumer websites for an impartial rating.

Foreclosure ads on the radio

For the past few mornings I keep hearing those ads on the radio that proclaim you can buy a house for as little as $23,000 or less. They are of course talking about homes in foreclosure or homes being sold for back taxes. Now before you jump in and say that is a wind fall for those people waiting to buy their first home let me say DON'T JUMP. There is a catch that they won't tell you.

Some homes in foreclosure have more than just one lender wanting their money. Where you could get caught out is if you bought a foreclosed home at auction that was for the second or third loan on the house. If that is the case then you would still owe the first mortgage on the home to the lender. If the first home mortgage on the home is the one that is defaulted on then all other loans become void. Back taxes are a different matter all together. If you plan on buying a home in foreclosure do your homework and have a thorough title search performed before you lay out any money for the property.

It is a good time to invest your money?

Real estate might or might not be a good investment at this time. What else is there? Stock and bonds but which ones. The video below is just one person's advise.

Just for mail order companies

Years ago I use have a small mail order business. Most of my customers came from requests for my catalogs. Now as I look back I could have profited from a direct mailing list. There are companies that sell or rent mailing lists. They are known as a list broker. I am sure they do the same thing (have lists) for email addresses as well as direct mailing lists but I have never looked into that. I think the internet as a whole has made it much easier for individuals to start and run their own business with ease.

Pay more, get less

If you have been to the supermarket lately you would have noticed a rise in prices. have you also noticed that some food companies are also shrinking the size of their packages and charging more? Dreyers Ice Cream recently introduced the smaller size package. Their previously 1.75 container is now a 1.5 container. They are selling at or above the old size container price. Other food companies appear to be doing the same thing.

Next time you shop take notice of the price per ounce or pound to look for the good deals since the food companies are trying to pull a fast one on us.

A unique product will make you a millionaire

Almost everyone I know dreams of finding the next "pet rock" craze and become an overnight millionaire. If you are too young to know what the pet rock was, I will tell you. This man , sorry I forgot his name, came out with a great gag gift, it was the pet rock. It was just a plain smooth semi-round rock packaged in a small cardboard box that was similar to the cat travel boxes at the time (1970's). It came with a booklet on how to care for your "pet". Lots of neat one line jokes and the dumb thing caught on. People just had to have one. I think they sold for around $1.99 to $2.99 at the time. It made the guy a millionaire overnight.

Of course the next successful gag or semi gag gifts were sea monkeys and chia pets. Notice how each one of the successful products is a "pet" of some sort?

Could the gel based AntWorks be the next "pet" gift? Done similar to a regular ant farm minus the dirt. This one has a gel that the ants make tunnels in. The pet idea is so popular because of city life. The great majority of the world's population live in large cities. Living space is at a premium and most places will not allow pets. Japan has gone so far as to create robot pets for it's population.

The same place that is selling the AntWorks farm has a wealth of unusual products. Anyone of those items could be the next "pet rock".

How to Power a TV using a AAA battery

Now this I want to see it work in person. Anyone done this? Post a comment and let me know. If this really does work we might all be doing this to power some items around the home soon.

Health insurance

If you are employed you know the value of health insurance through your employer. If you are under employed (an uninsured temp worker) or unemployed you not only know the value of health insurance but often cannot afford it. Being unemployed often means you have got to buy your own health insurance or take the risk and hope you don't get injured or sick. For me I have no choice in the matter, I have to have medical insurance since I have asthma and I can never tell when I might have an attack that takes me to ER.

Shopping for health insurance can be a big pain in the butt. I have had to choose the health plan offered to me that covers my local hospital. When I lived in California years ago I lived near 3 major hospitals and even my employer offered different health plans based on which hospital I wanted. Kaiser Permanente was the hospital system I picked when I lived in CA. It was also the one I chose when I became briefly unemployed there too. I found it to be one of the few affordable California health insurance companies around. I wish I could get it were I live now.

How to Charge an iPod using electrolytes and an onion

This fascinating video first appeared on YouTube about a year ago. Now this shows how someone could not only utilize what he knows to save money but also had the talent to put a decent video of his idea on the internet. What can you do?

Medical careers

I have always had a fascination for the medical profession. I have worked in a hospital myself several years ago. I was in the process of getting my physical therapy aid certification when my mother became terminally ill. That career got put on the back burner when I left the hospital to take care of my mother. After my mother passed away I never returned to the medical world again unless it was to take a family member to the doctor or physical therapy. I really did enjoy working with people and helping them get well.

I worked in the DTS unit where telemetry was used. Telemetry is what a hospital uses to monitor the heart rate of a patient. The telemetry unit gets the signal from the patient to the nurses desk via radio waves. That is the main reason why you see signs all over the hospital not to have you cell phone on. The cell phones interfere with the medical devices being used. The staff that run the telemetry equipment are certified and have had special training and have to undergo an ACLS exam to stay current with the certification.

What interests you?

Have you ever wondered why the adults that were around you when you were younger always asked you what do you want to be when you grew up? As you got older I bet you just thought they were making small talk. Some of them probably were but most of them were wise enough to realize that as adults we will be spending more waking hours at a paying job than we would be with our family or friends. It is a cold hard fact that we spend roughly 3 or less hours a day doing what we truly want to do, unless of course you love your job or career.

If you really want to get depressed just sit down and write down 24 for the amount of hours in a day. Next subtract 8 for the recommended amount of time you should be sleeping. Next on the list is subtract the amount of time you use to take care of bodily functions such as bathing, brushing teeth and using the toilet. Now minus the amount of time you take for eating each day. Now that just takes care of the time you need just to maintain your body. Now subtract a regular 8 hour day work day. Then subtract the time it takes you to get to and from work. Now how much time do you have left? My bet is that it is less than 4 hours. If you have kids or pets you now need to subtract time to take care of them. Don't forget to minus out the time it takes to do chores like cooking or laundry.

I hope you didn't get too depressed. Now use that new found info to prod yourself into finding a new career or starting your own business.

Career advancement

Getting ahead in our jobs is not only rewarding for our wallet, it can be an ego booster as well. I know when I was working for a very large corporation they encouraged me to become certified in many areas. At first I thought it was just for their benefit until I got some decent pay raises because I was certified. After the company closed down I had a better chance of finding another job because I was now certified.

If your company offers certifications or will pay for you to become certified for a process or programing - go for it. Even if they don't offer reimbursement I would still look into it. Software certification is one of the easiest certification courses to complete and surprisingly enough there are not that many people certified via CEH Training. The cost is not that outrageous and I would definitely suggest it to my boss if they didn't know about it already.

The best time to start your own business

The last time I looked up the statistics on how many Americans would love to run their own business it was 78%. That tells me that the great majority are either vastly under paid and think that they would be better off working for themselves or that they are very unhappy in their current career or job. I would make the guess that it might be a combination of the two.

If you are among the 78% of those people dreaming of your own business then I have some advise for you - don't quit your job, yet. Start your business while you are still employed and have no fear of losing your job soon. That way you can grow your business slowly without the "I have to do this fast, or else" syndrome. You will find that businesses established without that kind of pressure will do much better in the long run and you will have less headaches as well.

Is franchising for you?

You have probably heard the word franchise before but what does it mean? A franchise is when it comes to small business is a business you can buy into for a fee. Most fast food chains are made up of people buying the right and territory of that restaurant for a fee. Papa Murphy's is a well know franchise that is in most parts of the USA. Owning a franchise you not only have a recognizing trademark but will benefit from the parent's company advertising as well. Most of the time the parent company will issue sales fliers, coupons and TV ads as part of the franchise fee.

Franchises are not just limited to fast food places but come in all sorts of products as well as brick and mortar types of businesses.

Penny pinching

The national news in TV is reporting a large increase in shoppers using coupons when they shop. People have gone back to coupon clipping like mad. But are those shoppers really saving any money? If you are using a coupon to save money on a product or item that you already intended to buy without a coupon then yes you are saving money. If you are using a coupon to buy an item that you would not normally buy then you might not be coming out ahead on that one. Typically manufacturers want people to use coupons when they are introducing a new product. They want the consumer to buy their fancy new product with a few dollars off then get the consumer hooked on it so that they will continue to buy the product long after the price has gone up.

If you use coupons make sure you are not being fooled into a false sense of "saving money".

If you live in the UK, watch out for this scam

The UK has been hit hard by a growing amount of scammers based in Spain. Video news below.

Multi level marketing - what is it?

Multi level marketing and networking is what companies like Avon use to sell their products. Here is an informational video to find out more about it.

What kind of career is next for you?

For the next few days I will be putting blog posts on here that are informational for those people that are looking for a sideline job. Typically those kinds of jobs are sales like Avon or Amway. What else is out there? Stay tuned and find out.