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Another Deep Rate Cut From The Fed
@Beerad: This is something I'm considering right now - using my savings (was getting 5.25%, now down to 3.00% and dropping fast) to pay off the majority of my student loans, which are locked in at 7.75% from consolidation many years ago and can't go any lower.
Go Buy A Shredder Right Now
After letting my shredding material pile up due to underpowered equipment, I finally broke down and Amazoned (is that now a verb?) a high-grade shredder. Unfortunately, I'm still on some non-profit mailing lists, especially one group that likes to put "things" in their mailers to make them stand out. This time, they stuck a nickel in there.
I thought I had pre-filtered all of the material, but I missed it. That nickel got chewed up, then stuck up behind the plastic housing. I had to completely disassemble my nearly-new, $100+ shredder, hoping that I could: a) keep all of the parts in order; b) get to the now-pulled-apart nickel and extract it; c) put the shredder back together and have it still work; d) not go on a rampage against the direct mail company hired by that non-profit.
It took me about 90 minutes from start to finish, but I did finally get the remnants of the nickel out, and get the shredder back together in working order. It only bears a few scars.
Extended Car Warranties Are A Ripoff
When I bought by car (my very first brand new car - a 2002 Hyundai Elantra), I got the B2B warranty extended to 10Y/100K with no deductable through the factory. I think it cost me about $1000-1200. So far I haven't needed to call on it, but knowing that it was there (especially back when I first got it, before I got my finances in order) was a major comfort.
Having reliable transportation that should be able to keep going without major expense for the forseeable future, short of getting totalled in a collision, is a good thing.
Consumer Reports Top Auto Picks 2008
[Owner of a 2002 Hyundai Elantra here...] From what I read before buying, it appears that there's a split in quality for Hyundais: those made before about 1998-99, and everything afterward. That's when they changed a lot of their manufacturing approaches, and then they introduced those 10 year/100K warranties (which we take for granted now, but were amazing back then).
My 2002 Elantra GT Hatchback is going strong without any real complaints. I hope to drive it quite a few more years, by which time the electric Range Extended Vehicle (eREV), like the Chevy Volt or the Tesla Whitestar, should have most of the bugs worked out.
10 Things You Can Do With Baking Soda
@sixsnowflakes: [Re. mixing baking soda and vinegar to clean slow drains:] your comment "should never be combined in closed spaces, unless of course, you're trying to destroy your pipes" would only make sense if you were talking about a 100%-stopped drain. And then, after pouring in the soda and vinegar, proceeded to cap off the drain end completely and weld it closed.
I, like a lot of folks, have used this tip to clean my slow-draining tub, and it has helped. The reason nothing has gone "Boom!" yet is that you're not dealing with a closed system: the downstream end is vented (per code), and upstream (my side) ends up releasing some pressure, even when I do place a stopper over the drain (which is the recommended practice, to force the bubbling mix to work towards the soam scum and hair that is lining the walls of the pipes).
Phishers Turn To Text Messages
Latecomer to the party: here in the North Texas area, someone has got their hate on for a local bank (called Point Bank, which is not related to a similarly-named bank elsewhere in the country). Some of us here have by now received at least five voice mail spams (vpams?), over ten e-mail spams, and now at least one text spam, all aimed at getting Point Bank account info. I'm not sure if I'd chalk this up to an opportunistic spammer, a disgruntled former account holder, or someone trying to manipulate the value of the company.
Don't Forget To Claim Your Student Loan Deduction
Me = Masters degree recipient, making ~$53K/year (therefore a loser), renting not owning (and therefore not itemizing), so this deduction has been a godsend.
Seriously: the whole "Who doesn't make $70K a year?" bit walks right on the razor's edge of the whole 50-page-long, knock-down-drag-out Cost of Living debate. And I'm not ready for that today.
DG Launches DRM-Free Classical Music Store
Given that DG is the classical music world's version of the Evil Empire (DG == Microsoft), this doesn't exactly fill me with excitement.
130 Diverted American Airlines Flights Tracked On A Legal Pad
@overbysara: Regarding the "Pilot" iPhone commercial, last Friday's (11/16) 'Ask The Pilot' column in Salon.com directly addressed this very issue...and he laid the smackdown on the ad pretty hard. [www.salon.com]
Comments from wHATEver
After Weekend Controversy, Wisconsin Landlord Releases Man From Lease On Murder Scene Apartment
This story (while obviously tragic) reminded me of something - I'm renewing my apartment lease, and I took the time to re-read the fine print. (I do this every two years or so - the Texas Common Lease forms don't tend to change that often.)
According to the terms of my lease: as a single occupant renter, if I die during the period of the lease, the lease *does not terminate on my death*. Someone (the lease does not make it clear, but most likely family) has to submit in writing intent to terminate the lease after my death, and has to give the owner *30 days* notice before the lease is considered terminated.
If my family is distraught or distracted by the process of dealing with my death and a funeral, multiple months of rent could pile up, all of which could be pursued against my 'estate'.
Having said all of this: the owner/manager is not bound to follow the letter of the lease, and I'm sure that many apartment buildings/complexes are willing to waive the written 30 days notice and even final rent in some cases for grieving families. It's just yet another aspect of a non-sensical lease structure.