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Odor eliminator. Nok-Out, is a product that looks and smells like water, but kills almost all odors and all their germs. Nok-Out starts at $5.75 for a travel-size spray bottle at NokOut.com.
HAIRSPRAY CLOG. If you have a hairspray nozzle that is sticky with gunk, remove it and soak it in a dish of rubbing alcohol overnight. Rinse it with water and replace it. The nozzle will work like new! Kim, California
Debt Proof Living ... Mary Hunt
AIR CONDITIONING
Worried about the cost of running your air conditioner this summer? Don't be. Just make sure you follow a few wise tips, and you'll be able to keep your bill low and keep reasonably cool, too.
Using ceiling fans can help lower your cooling bills. In the summer, moving air gives a "wind chill" effect. This means you can set the thermostat at a higher temperature, yet still have a cool feeling. For example, you can set the thermostat at 80 degrees with a fan running and it will feel like 72 degrees in the room.
The direction your ceiling fan should spin in the summer depends on the type of fan you have and at which angle the fan blades have been set by the manufacturer (or you, if you altered them).
First, look for a switch marked "Forward" and "Reverse." If the blades are angled properly, you want the fan to spin forward during the summer and the other way in the winter. Set on "Forward," the fan blows air downward, directly on you.
During the winter, you want to set the fan to "Reverse" so that it blows air upward to the ceiling, forcing the hot air down to warm the occupants of the room. Set it on a slow speed to make sure you are not creating a draft.
Now, is that clockwise or counterclockwise? It depends on your specific fan and the way the blades are set. If you are all mixed up, simply set the fan to High and stand under it. Do you feel the air blowing down on you? Then that is your "Forward" direction. Make a note.
Another way to keep your home cool inside is to make use of your draperies. Open them at night, but as soon as day breaks or it begins to heat up outdoors, close the drapes or other window coverings to reflect heat from the sun.
Finally, the old question about whether to leave the air conditioning on when you are not home. There is a school of thought that says it's cheaper to keep your home cool than to cool it down from say 80 F, or warmer. Is it true? Michael Bluejay, "Mr. Electricity," says it's a myth. Here's why:
Heat goes to where it's not. With the AC off, your house will absorb heat from outside, but at some point it will be so hot it can't absorb any more heat. When you come home and turn the AC on, the AC has to remove the accumulated heat only once. But if the air conditioning is on when you're gone, then your house is constantly absorbing heat because your AC is constantly cooling down the house. The AC has basically turned your house into a heat magnet.
Let's say you leave the AC off, and your house absorbs 20k BTUs of heat and then stops, because that's all it can absorb.
Now let's say that you have the AC running instead. The house absorbs 5k BTUs of heat, so the AC kicks in and removes it. Then it absorbs another 5k BTUs, and your AC kicks in and removes that. Repeat that process several times during the day.
Bluejay says this is not a gray area, and there's no question about it. Running the AC when you're not home wastes energy, period.
From: Mary Hunt - Debt Proof Living
Check the price by phone.
There's a way to find out—as you're standing in the aisle—if the store sale price is a good deal. Call 1-888-363-7822 and type in the bar code number of the product in question. Frucall's free service will tell you the range of prices that online retailers, including amazon.com, charge for the same item.
Convenience Checks a Good Deal? Dream On! 1. Convenience checks trick people who are naďve and have the fundamental belief that credit card companies have their best interests in mind. 2. Convenience checks are always subject to a hefty transaction fee of 3 to 5 percent of the amount of the check you write, or $25 to $75 (depending on the offer), whichever is greater. Using a convenience check to “pay for expensive dental work” could make that work even more expensive. Let’s say the bill is $10,000. A five percent fee would mean $500 is tacked on to the balance up front. And here’s the problem: You will not see this information on those convenience checks, nor on the paperwork that comes with them. You have to call the bank and ask in order to find out the terms. Does that sound right to you? 3. Convenience checks allow you to borrow money from your credit-card account, but they do not carry the same protection as your credit card. That is a sneaky trick the issuing bank can pull on a customer. The federal law that protects us when using a credit card does not apply to the convenience checks issued on that same account. 4. A convenience check starts accruing interest on the full amount immediately from the time it’s drawn—even if you carry a $0 balance on your card and normally would have a 25-day interest-free grace period. 5. Worse yet, most banks have a sneaky provision in the fine print that says if your card has an existing balance, any payments you make will be applied to the lower balance first, at your current interest rate, before they are applied to the convenience check balance. That means the convenience check balance will continue to accrue unpaid interest as long as you use the card to make purchases. The Motley Fool’s Marko Djuranovic (www.Fool.com) did some calculations to see exactly how much a convenience check purchase of $10,000 would cost over the long-term. According to Djuranovic’s calculations, after accounting for all the hidden fees, accumulated interest and minimum payments due, if he could not repay the entire $10,000 within the first two years, it would cost him 38 percent of the total amount borrowed. Just imagine if Mr. Reader had an existing balance on his card and let his dental bill, new dryer and well repairs hang on for a couple of years. There’s no doubt that convenience checks are convenient. But they’re a bad deal all the way around, from the upfront fee to the interest that accrues from the moment you sign your name. In response to that same column, quite a few readers wrote to say they’d been successful in demanding that their bank or credit-card issuer stop sending convenience checks. That’s good news and a little piece of information you should act on. Call today and make the same demand of your credit-card issuer. In the meantime should convenience checks show up in your mailbox, shred them immediately. The last thing you want is for a thief to find them in your trash. What do you think of convenience checks? Would you ever use one? Come visit today’s blog post at MoneyRulesDebtStinks.com and have your say. Check out more articles on credit cards by Mary Hunt: This article is from Mary Hunt's Debt Proof Living
Smart Consumerism COMPUTER CHASE. You can get a computer for free with a little research and persistence. Schools, businesses and government offices give away computers when they upgrade to newer systems. Put the word out to local businesses and schools. Put your name on any list you can find to receive discarded equipment. A little patience and getting on as many of those lists as possible will speed the process along. Bonus: A free computer makes it easier to pay for the best available Internet connection. Don A., email Two online sources for refurbished computers that you might want to consider are Overstock.com and Computers4Sure.com (click on the "Refurbished" tab). Refurbished computers are models that were purchased new and returned for any number of reasons. Perhaps they were too big, too small, the wrong color or didn't work as expected. Computers that are now being sold as "refurbished" are thoroughly tested and certified. They're sold at a huge discount. These are PC's as well as refurbished Apple computers. Always check the warranty and the return policy before any purchase. A 90-day limited warranty is standard for a refurbished computer.
Points.com is the revolutionary new service that helps you get the most from the reward programs to which you ALREADY BELONG. New Customer Benefits: YOUR OWN POINTS.COM When you tell us the reward programs you belong to, we'll remember them and personalize Points.com just for you. FREE AND EASY Creating an account requires NO credit card and no financial commitment. FREE BONUS Sign up now and get FREE MILES or POINTS in your favorite program. Worried about hidden fees? at Amazon.Com (We receive no monies from the sale of this book) DOUBLE DUTY. As soon as I bring home a box of dryer sheets from the store, I take them out, cut them in half and put them back in the box. Half of a sheet works just as well as a whole one, and I get twice as many for my money. Judi M., Kansas
From Mary Hunt
FREE MARKETING MATERIALS SPROUTING DRIVEWAY. If your driveway or patio seems to sprout weeds through the slimmest of cracks, here’s a very cheap way to alleviate the problem: Pour boiling water on the cracks. Kills ‘em dead DESIGNER DEALS. Goodwill is no longer just a chain of walk-in thrift stores. Their website, shopgoodwill.com, is the first Internet auction site operated by a nonprofit organization. It's a great place to browse high quality donation items from across the country. You can find designer items like purses or shoes that are in great condition for a fraction of the retail price. Brenda F., email
Buy in Bulk If your pet takes regular medications, ask the veterinarian if you can get a discount for buying them in bulk. From Mary Hunt creator of Debt Proof Living Ask for a better INTERNET SERVICE rate. SEND TEXT MESSAGES FOR FREE Call Hong Kong for free. Check the total. Use your flexible spending account.
Ditch the paper products. --------------------- ---------------------------- Consumer Scam Alerts
NEED A VACATION BUT DON'T HAVE MUCH MONEY? You'd like to take a vacation with the family but don't have the money. #1 Plan a "staycation" --a stay-at-home vacation. Google your city or state plus the word "tourist" to see what's available in your own area. You'll likely find coupons and other specials you didn't know existed. #2 Create a campground in your backyard complete with tent and fire pit, if you are allowed to do that in your area. Take day trips that include fun activities, then come back to your "campground" at night. #3 To find out what's going on in Cleveland, click on the above news/events tab or google the words CLEVELAND TOURIST ----------------- To find out what's going on in your area, do an Internet search using your city's name plus the word "tourist." Prepare to be amazed at what's right under your nose. While you're there, look for coupons and other special offers from local merchants designed with tourists (like you!) in mind. SEE ALSO (ON THIS WEBSITE): TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION
“How to Gain Control Over Spending” (DPL Members)
“Credit Card Tips and Tricks”
ANT SPRAY. I keep a spray bottle of diluted dishwashing soap around to kill aphids on my roses and ants in the yard. It's safe to use around kids, pets and the wildlife you like. Just a teaspoon dishwashing soap in a quart of water seems to do the trick. Michele S., Oregon
SWEATER PROTECTOR. To avoid "bumps" in my sweaters when I put them on hangers, I save the bubble wrap that comes with packages that are delivered. I poke a hole through the middle of the sheet of bubble wrap and place a hanger through the hole. I then secure the bottom and edges of the bubble wrap together with packing tape. I hang my sweaters, cotton t-shirts and polo shirts on these, especially if they have to air-dry after being washed. They air-dry perfectly on these hangers. Jane, email
You can often get a better deal on Internet service by calling your Internet service provider and requesting a discount. For example, if you called Time Warner Cable and mentioned that their competitor offered better rates, they will probably drop your monthly bill.
It's free to send text messages to a cell phone from your computer—just type your friend's cell phone address into the "to" box in the e-mail header. For Verizon Wireless customers, the address is the number@vtext.com; for AT&T, number@txt.att.net; for T-Mobile, number@tmomail.net; for Sprint, number@messaging.sprintpcs.com.
Talkster.com lets you chat for free with people around the world for as long as you please. Enter your home or cell number and a friend's number at the website. Talkster issues a set of local numbers you can call to connect. The catch: You have to listen to a 10-second ad.
Many online stores make up for a free-shipping policy with higher prices. Zappos.com charged $163 for a pair of Aerosoles boots, for example, that aerosoles.com had on sale for $135 plus $9 shipping.
Only a third of eligible employees take advantage of FSAs, which allow you to take a tax deduction on medical expenses your insurance doesn't cover, including copays and therapy visits. A person making $35,000 could save $200 on taxes.
Cloth napkins over paper is a no-brainer (cloth instead of paper for a family of four adds up to $12 savings per year), but you can also swap your paper coffee filters for a metal mesh filter (saving $8 this year after paying for the new filter, and about $18 annually thereafter), paper towels for dish rags (annual savings: $40), and memo pads for a mini chalkboard ($15 this year). Total savings: $75 (plus a lot of trees).
From 10 Solid-Gold Ways to Save—Without Giving Up Your Latte in the March 2008 issue of O, The Oprah MagazineScam Alert:
CREDIT REPAIRS DIRTY BUSINESS
For those wishing to get away for a budget vacation this summer, a new website, DiscoverAmerica.com, should come in handy. Launched to help Americans explore their own country, Discover America links to tourism information for all 50 states. An activity finder lists more than 3,000 experiences, attractions and events like museums, festivals and parks. From Mary Hunt
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