Consumerist
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babies
Four Financial Tools All New Parents Need
The baby's on the way! You've got a crib, toys, and a rapidly approaching delivery date. So what else you do need? Kiplinger shares the four must-have financial tools that no new parent should go without... More » -
Use this calculator to figure out just how much paint you need for your room. [MyHomeIdeas.com via Lifehacker]
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saving money
Personal Finance Roundup
The Best Online Tools for Personal Finance [The Wall Street Journal] "Here's a look at some of the best sites we turned up, in a range of categories."
13 Awesome Money Saving Sites We Love at Wise Bread [Wise Bread] "Here are 13 of the best of the best money saving sites on the web."
Car Shoppers: Should You Buy or Lease? [Smart Money] "Here's our guide to help you determine which move is best for you."
Work at Home and Make Big Money? Let the Wise Be Wary [New York Times] "The Federal Trade Commission, which gives tips to consumers about spotting and avoiding work-at-home schemes on its Web site, notes that such schemes generally fall into these three categories."
55 Best Ways To Save Money: Frugal Ideas From Our Readers! [The Digerati Life] "What is your favorite money saving tip?"
— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: frankieleon) -
tos
TOSBack Keeps Track Of Changes To Terms Of Service Policies Around The Web
It's difficult enough to parse a lengthy TOS for one web-based service, let alone for dozens, or to keep track of when and how they update them. It would be nice if some public-service website out there would keep track of this stuff for all of us, wouldn't it? Last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) did just that with the launch of TOSBAck.org, "the terms-of-service tracker." It tracks TOS agreements for 44 different services, including Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Twitter, and eBay. More » -
tools
Reach Real Customer Service Faster With GetHuman's iPhone App
Gethuman, the awesome website that lists shortcuts to help find your way past automated menu trees and reach live people, now has a free standalone version for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. [gethuman] -
The next time you're looking at hotels online, try www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com. Our readers recommend both sites for helping you figure out which hotels you're being offered on Priceline or Hotwire. (Thanks to bohemian and picantel!)
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forgotten money
Check For Unredeemed, Matured Government Bonds
A PR person just contacted us on behalf of the U.S. Treasury Department to point out that there are $16 billion in unredeemed bonds that are no longer earning interest. "Specifically, there are 40 million Series E savings bonds purchased between 1941 and 1978 that are over 30 years old and therefore have fully matured. They can be cashed out today for at least four times their face value." More » -
made in USA
Buy American? Sure, If You Can Afford It
Is it possible today to buy U.S.-made goods in mainstream, reasonably-priced stores? The answer, ABC's John Donvan learned while reporting a "Nightline" story to be broadcast tonight, is a rather emphatic "no" when it comes to clothing, and otherwise "maybe." More » -
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If you own a G1 phone from T-Mobile, Google has added a special barcode scanning feature to its Product Search page just for you. Yeah, you've already got other barcode scanning apps, but this one integrates with Google's search functionality so you can scan and see product search results in Google immediately. [Phandroid]
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nutritional info
Convert Your Favorite Snack Into Sugar Cubes
This website displays photos of soft drinks, smoothies, candy, and even vegetables next to little piles of sugar cubes that represent the total sugar in them. This is a great service, because if you ever go into space you can simply use this site to pack a baggie full of an equivalent amount of cubes. Then you can enjoy your Space McFlurry without worrying about liquid contamination of the spacecraft.
[SugarStacks.com via BoingBoing]
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If you have an iPhone or a G1, Google has just announced a new version of their Product Search specially formatted for those phones. Here's a video demonstrating how the mobile version looks and functions. [Google Mobile Blog via IntoMobile]
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follow ups
Sears Clarifies Craftsman Tools Warranty
Earlier this month, we noted how a reader was having trouble getting Sears to properly honor the lifetime warranty on his Craftsman tools. Now David Figler, a vice president of the company, has responded and said, "We stand behind the warranty—complete satisfaction—period." Below is his email, and a portion of the memo he sent to Sears stores on the matter. More » -
follow ups
Brian Manages To Replace His Rusty Craftsman Sockets At Sears
When we broke off from our Sears Craftsman warranty saga last Friday, Brian had been told there were no replacements on tools that have rust on them, which wasn't what Sears told us the last time we had warranty questions. Over the weekend, Brian found more evidence that Sears can't get its warranty language straight. But there's some good news, too: he dressed up a little, cleaned off the sockets, and went back to Sears. This time he got a different associate who seemed to have no problem swapping out the tools, and who never mentioned the supposed "three per day" rule. More » -
websites
Gazaro Rates Gadget Sales Based On Historical Price Data
If you're shopping around for a TV, computer, camera, or other consumer electronics gadget, you may want to add Gazaro to your online toolbox. The service, which is free but requires registration, tracks items that are listed on sale, then rates the sale price by comparing it to the item's pricing history. It's an easy way to quickly scan a list of current sales and see which ones are actually good deals. We like it, but there are still some areas that could be improved. More » -
excuses
Sears Can't Get Its Story Straight Regarding Rust And Craftsman Tools
C'mon Sears, rust isn't a magic brown fairy powder that you can sprinkle over any warranty issue to deny coverage. Brian was told he couldn't have his worn-out sockets replaced because they were rusty. He pointed out that he needed them replaced because they were worn out, not because of some cosmetic damage due to oxidation. Now Sears has officially told him that any rust on a Craftsman tool automatically voids the warranty—which is not what Sears told us two years ago. More » -
sears
Craftsman's "Lifetime Warranty" Depends On Tool Associate's Mood
Brian tried to trade in some old Craftsman tools, the ones that come with a lifetime, no-questions-asked replacement policy. Unfortunately, the Tool Associate at Sears deemed Brian unworthy of the Cratfsman guarantee and refused him. That's why he's the Tool Associate.
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Our reader Hank Scorpio, while taking a break from plotting to take over the world, suggested an awesome web tool earlier today: Readability. Drag the bookmark to your browser's bookmark bar, then click it when you're on a badly cluttered page and watch magic happen. [via Hank Scorpio]
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investing
Calculate How Long Till Your Portfolio Recovers
How long will it take your portfolio to recover from this financial Armageddon? NYT's cool calculator tells me it's going to take about three years. Check it, just punch in how much your portfolio was worth at its peak, its current value, how much you contribute on a regular basis, and play with the annual return. It generates a nice Times-quality graph of how long it's going to take you to get it all back, and what the outlook is for years to come. Good way of putting the whole shebang in perspective.
tools
New York, 2:50 PM
Sun Jul 5
6 posts in the last 24 hours
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