Some very good advice, especially with the home security systems. I'd only add that again, with many cell phone carriers and cable/satellite companies, there is an ETF involved. Simply ditching your service can cost a lot. One must evaluate the cost in the long run, and whether it's worth it. I'm not surprised Gizmodo suggested torrenting, but that's hardly something that should be advocated.

I'm sorry I couldn't pay my bills, but a fight broke out between COBRA and Peter Griffin on my desk, and my mail pile was used as a cover, and burned in the battle.

@pecan 3.14159265: if you can verify the legality of the download there's nothing wrong with it. Not sure how you can do that off the top of my head, but just wanted to put it out there that there's nothing inherently wrong with bittorrent other than the fact that it's been misused for pirating.

I love the idea of the rain barrel. It would help me out a lot when I get my pepper garden going again this year.

@pecan 3.14159265: Consumerist has some great articles on avoiding ETF's by cancelling due to changes in your contract.

@pecan 3.14159265: In the richest country in the world, people still think they have to steal to save money. Sigh.

@squinko:

I've often thought about doing the rain barrel, but I am not sure where I could put them. I have a single level ranch house, so having giant barrels hanging out on the corners of the house would be a definate no-no. Maybe there could be a way to bury them.

@pecan 3.14159265: On the contrary, it should be advocated more than it is! (I would say _much_ more, but it's already got a ton of support). The protocol is a god-send for site hosting bills.

@Saboth: Then it's a cistern. You can buy large plastic underground cisterns. Then you could hook an ol' fashioned farm pump to it and fill up buckets AND get exercise from pumping AND look "farmy".

@GuinevereRucker: Cuz we're the worst piraters in the world, right? Funny how Customs has dogs trained to sniff out CD/DVD's for things coming INTO the country....

Is anybody actually having success getting companies to lower their rates lately?

In this economy I imagine a lot of people are asking for a bargain, no? Or is everyone just cancelling and companies are just happy to take whatever they can get?

@asplodzor: From 2008 Data we rank 17'th on the list of worlds richest countries.

We are probably the largest country in the top 20 in population. But your argument is that we are so rich we can afford .99$ songs with DRM. Or 14.99 CDs with limitations that do not allow us to rip them how we want. What happens when your CD scratches? So until they change their attitude I won't care either.

Point is we are not the richest country in the world. End.

I am always surprised at the number of people who haven't switched over to CFLs yet. The savings are enormous, if you're smart. Just remember that CFLs can't be used in every light socket in the house - sometimes you still need that incandescent (outdoor lights, bathrooms, etc).

@It'sNotUranusDay?_GitEmSteveDave: What?? No expired coupon and chicken??

@TinkishDelight: I called Charter to switch from Dish Network last week, they offered me the same rate as Dish so I said no thanks. They called back 3 days later and offered me a rate $20 lower than their first offer. So yeah, they'll negotiate.

@When'sUranusDay?_GitEmSteveDave: You say "farmy", I say "Third World chic". ;)

@verucalise:

Sorry, forgot to add the first time!

@TinkishDelight: I talked to a DirecTV rep yesterday and she said DirecTV subscriptions have gone up because of the digital transition, and that a lot of people are calling to ask about promotions, or any kind of deal they might have, or credits to help them out with their bills. So to me, I think it seems that the people who were previously going without satellite are looking at it as a reason to update. And those who were previously paying far less on a promotion are facing higher bills due to DirecTV raising their rates (I blame the DNC registry violation fine) and from their promotions ending because they're at the end of their promotion deal.

@Shadowfire: They make CFLs for the outdoors, and why can't you use it in the bathroom? Have mine in there for over a year now no problems.

@Shadowfire: We're working on going through all of our lightbulbs first. We bought a pack of 6 last year and haven't actually used all of them up. I'd rather not have lightbulbs lying around. I think we're down to the last one, so as soon as that's done, I'm hunting down some coupons and buying some CFLs for every lamp.

I don't own a security system because what I own isn't worth the cost of one. I own my own home but don't have much in the way of stuff and live in a very low crime area. Most of my neighbors don't even lock their back doors. That's the south for you.

My house is locked up tight though, standard door lock on all doors plus 2 deadbolt locks on each door.

I went crazy on a USAA rep who told me that I "really should" get an alarm system because for some reason "I was going to be hit for a $20,000 loss" when I was buying my homeowners policy. Like, not even possible unless they stole my home equity. With as far out in the sticks as I live it would take the cops awhile to get out to my place anyway and the burglars would be long gone by then.

I'm serious when I say I don't have much. The total value of everything theft worthy I own is only enough to cover the installation of the monitoring system and a few months of monitoring fees. Its basically a money loser for me; doesn't pay at all. Plus, I have self installed motion sensors and contact switches on all of my windows and doors that release an eardrum piercing screech whenever they're breached. Enough to scare anyone within a 3 house radius!

@Megan Squier: Actually at my rate I would have to have a break no more than 6 months after having the thing installed to break even. After that, its a money loser.

A little cost/benefit analysis for you there. :):)

@Megan Squier: It still boggles the mind that people don't lock their doors in some areas of the South. It's just not what I'm used to. When Mr. Pi moved to the city, it took a few weeks for him to remember that you absolutely have to lock your car, even if it's in your driveway. And you absolutely have to keep your doors locked, and your garage doors closed.

@Skankingmike: Outdoor CFLs still don't work well in the cold, so for half the year you can't use them (well, we can't, living in Vermont). The concern using them in the bathroom is the moisture... a small crack in the casing can easily cause a fire.

@pecan 3.14159265: There are plenty of torrents legally available and many independent artists especially make use of its ability to easily send large files and large collections of files.

It's really shortsighted to assume that landlines are "useless relics." Power goes off. Cable goes down. If you're relying totally on cable or cell for your phone and/or internet service, how do you get online during these outages? You don't.

But I do, because I kept my landline, so I can still get on dialup. As I work from home, uninterrupted internet access is extremely important. Last week I had 5 power outages (and I live in NYC) due to construction work. The week before, it was out for 4 hours one morning for "upgrades." And during the summer, outages are constant.

As anyone who has Time Warner Cable can attest, you can sometimes be without cable or internet for days. And maybe you can afford to be without internet access (or phone when your cell battery runs out and there's no electric) when this stuff happens, but I can't. So I keep my landline, and a corded phone in a cupboard. I even bought one of those coupon converter boxes and rabbit ears for when the cable goes down and I want to watch more than one channel. So I'm set.

It pays to think ahead, and to be prepared for possible circumstances that might be less than ideal. In a perfect world, your electric and cable would stay on 24/7 and there would never be a need for a landline. But this isn't a perfect world, and I'd rather be prepared for reality than be stranded in fantasy land when work needs to be done or bills need to be paid.

I ditched my cable and lived. Comcast went up, free digital became available, and so I dropped the cable. I watch a few network shows and then use the internet to watch cable shows I want to see. I save $85 a month.

I also paid off my car, which freed up some change.

@Shadowfire: My peeve is that CFLs can't be used in a circuit controlled by a timer or a photocell. Timer and photocell switches trickle some power through the circuit all the time in order for the swithc to operate. Your average CFL can't handle this and burns out quickly.

It's also nigh impossible to find CFL versions of the three-way bulb, for some reason.

@GuinevereRucker: Way to assume torrenting = stealing.

You know what they say...don't assume it makes an ass out of u, not me.

The post's picture is what happens when you let a stack of bills actually see you walk past. I generally get into a large cardboard box and tiptoe silently behind it to avoid them acknowledging me.

@snowburnt: RTFA. The reference to torrenting is in relation to ditching his DirecTV television service. I doubt he's currently downloading many copies of Jaunty Jackalope via DirecTV. Or do you know of a company that freely, legally releases the same TV content via torrent that you can get on DirecTV?

So... Peter Griffin is fighting Cobra now? Probably will be better than the new movie.

:)

@Shadowfire: CFLs also won't work on dimmer circuits, so in some cases, one would have to replace the switch. Haven't had much of an issue with usage in the bathrooms, but it's not like I take a long shower anyways and the room does have ventilation. Outdoors, it's incandescents on motion sensing lights.

For longevity, we still have some Ikea CFLs from the late 90's in use. Still haven't ridded of the extra incandescents, though ... I suppose they'll eventually become collector's items. Heck, some of them prolly are already ... they still have a "Made in USA" stamp on 'em.

@Shadowfire: They work fine in the cold, they just take a while to warm up. Kansas winters are just as awful as anywhere else and I have been using the candelabra style ones in my porch fixture for 3 years now.

There are a lot of things I'd get rid of before I got rid of our home security system. We got it the day we moved in; our neighbour didn't and was broken into twice (with her brand-new, very pricey Mac stolen the second time) before she decided it was worth considering. I like knowing that emergency assistance is only a triggered alarm away whether we're home or not.

@Megan Squier: One hopes you have a firearm in the house as well.

@Megan Squier: We lock our doors in my section of 'the south'. We have home alarm systems, too, but maybe that's because we're in The Big City.

I'm good except for the low-flow.

I like a good shower and I hate using the plunger.

'nuff said.

Just wondering...do rain barrels pose a mosquito hazard?

My elderly Ukrainian neighbor swears by her rain barrel though - she mostly uses it for her clothes washing water. She uses tap from the hose on her massive garden though.

Also, I've had the Comcast $99 bundle (plus extras - taxes, service fees, dvr fees etc) for two years now, and we have over one more year left on that contract.

When the one-year $99 rate was about to expire, I called and mentioned that I'm shopping around for other rates and service providers and they did not hesitate to extend that package for another two years.

They make out, because it's 2 more years of my money going to them. I make out, because I don't have to deal w/ the hassle of switching providers.

I wonder if Verizon offers something similar when their introductory offer comes to an end.

@fatcop: Heck yes!

@Megan Squier: I'm armed to the teeth and not afraid of much.

@JulesNoctambule: I live outside of Huntsville and I wasn't bashing the whole south. I'm a small town girl and it just surprised me.

If someone were to break in they'd encounter 2 nutty Dale Gribble types with loaded weapons. We've got his and her Berettas in our night tables.

I am not a fan of cell phones, and I can't justify the cost of owning one. My husband has apre-pay though. He used to go with TracFone but now uses Net10 (cheaper for more frequent use).

We figure it's better to pay for what we use instead of having yet another flat, this-is-what-you-have-to-pay-us-each-month kind of bill.

@geeky_reader: I didn't mean for that to show up here.

@narf:

There are CFLs that work on dimmers

@geeky_reader: Pre-paid is definitely how you should go if you don't use your cell phone much at all. My cell phone is my life line. Wherever I am, if I need something, I'd like to be able to call someone, hop on the internet to find it, or make notes and organize my calendar. I use my cell phone to help organize my life. I know a bunch of people with pre-paid phones though and they love them. There are times I wish I could go pre-paid, but until they offer pre-paid smartphones, I can't bite.

@Skankingmike: >>>What happens when your CD scratches?

Well, the law is set up as such that when your CD scratches, you replace it by buying a new one. If your car gets a dent, you fix the dent or buy a new car. If you break your tv, fix it or buy a new one etc.
If you "don't care," that's fine, but I'm not sure how you then come to the conclusion that you are somehow entitled to a new copy of music just because your old one is scratched.

@verucalise: What's Cobra, some kind of sex jelly?