The fable goes that the nice white-haired appliance guys are a dying breed and they’re way better than their outsourced, van-driving, retail store counterparts. But sometimes the local guy is just as bad as the guy in the store wearing the official colored shirt. When her Kenmore model 417 front-loading washer went bust-o, Jane discovered she was able to save $400 in repair costs by learning how to fix it herself from Youtube videos. [More]
how-to
A Workaround For DirecTV's 50 Show DVR Limit
By 10.3.11
Reader Paul is pissed because he found out that DirecTV’s DVR will only let you schedule 50 shows to record and watched. Having more than one person in his house, he hit this limit pretty fast. So how can you record more than 50 shows on the DirecTV in-house brand DVR? One thing you can do is use the enhanced search function with “boolean operations.” [More]
Bundle Together Several Small Scholarships
By 10.3.11
Rather than banking on one big scholarship, students are finding success by stringing together several small scholarships. By filling out an online questionnaire, you can get matched up with organizations that focus on specific subjects, talents, interest groups, ethnicities, and industries. Here’s your first step: [More]
Peel A Head Of Garlic In 10 Seconds
By 9.30.11
Peeling garlic can be a pain in the tuchus but here’s a method for peeling a whole head of garlic in less than 10 seconds. Really! [More]
To Keep A Sponge Clean, Snip A Hole In It, Hang It On The Faucet
By 9.30.11
To keep germs and grime from building up on your sponges, you can just snip a little hole in them and slip them on the faucet. Handy dandy! [More]
How To Have A 20-Minute Conversation With A Partner About Money
By 9.26.11
The lifestyle changes you need to get out of debt can seem overwhelming. They can seem impossible if you don’t feel your partner isn’t on board with your plan. That’s why it can be very helpful to set up a dedicated 20-minute conversation where the two of you discuss it so you can get them on your wagon of change. But you’ll want to set up the parameters and a few ground rules so that the two of you will get the most out of the talk. [More]
Turn A Milk Jug Into A Sandwich Box
By 9.26.11
With a few deft maneuvers of the scissor, you can transform an empty milk carton into a reusable sandwich or snack box. [More]
How To Get Rid Of The Facebook News Ticker
By 9.21.11
Facebook rolled out some new tweaks this week, like adding a real-time “ticker” of all your friends’ updates in the right sidebar, and making pictures bigger in the news feed, along with a few other tweaks. Some people woke up to them and promptly starting making Facebook status updates on how much they hate the new Facebook. Well, there’s a few ways to roll them back and get the “old” Facebook. [More]
10 Questions To Ask Your Doctor During Your Visit
By 9.21.11
It’s important to ask your doctor questions to make sure you’re getting the best care and aren’t overpaying or getting an unnecessary treatment. In fact, your doctor wants you to ask questions. It can be hard to think of the right ones in the heat — or rather, cold — of the moment — those backless hospital gowns and all — so the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has got 10 you can print out and bring with you. [More]
How A Travel Hacker Buys An Airplane Ticket
By 9.14.11
Nomadic Matt is essentially a professional world traveler, having quit his job in 2006 to pursue his love of trekking all around the globe. He shares his tips and the pricematching steps he takes before he books any ticket. [More]
Knocked $30 Off My Cable Bill Just By Asking
By 9.9.11
I’ve been hearing how the ol’ “threaten to cancel to get your cable bill reduced” ploy is “dead” but I decided to give negotiating with the cable company a shot. I got my monthly bill reduced by $30, and, indirectly related to my conversation with them, somehow also got free HBO. Schweet. [More]
The Recipe For Getting Rid Of Mold After Irene
By 8.30.11
Once the floodwaters of Irene are gone from your house, they leave behind a nasty parting gift: mold. Stinky, pervasive, sickening mold. Here’s how to get rid of it. [More]
Getting Through The Post-Irene Insurance Claim Process
By 8.30.11
The first floor of a friend’s house in Vermont was completely flooded by Hurricane Irene, forcing the family with two kids to evacuate to a nearby church. But braving the storm may look like blowing bubbles in the park after they start the insurance claims process. Here’s some tips they, and you, can use to make it easier. [More]
Make Your Own Indoor HDTV Antenna From Cardboard And Aluminum Foil
By 8.8.11
You could drop $40-$70 on an indoor HDTV antennae, or you could make your own for a few bucks out of cardboard and aluminum foil. Since most TVs have built-in HD tuners, you can get local TV without paying for cable just by applying your DIY know-how. Reader Dave shares his instructions. [More]
Boost Your WiFi Signal With A Beer Can
By 8.5.11
Stressed out because your WiFi is too slow to get your work done? Crack open a cold one. Then dry it, slice it, and mount it on your router’s antennae. That’s right, you can boost your wifi just by doing some simple surgery on a beer can. [More]
Setting And Staying On A Budget In College
By 8.4.11
Before you even step foot on campus this fall, you should know your budget as well as you know your class schedule. If you graduate with an A+ in personal finance management, that might be the best lesson you learn in your years of higher education. Here are a few tips, reminders and resources you should take advantage of. [More]
Make Sure The Nursing Home Isn't Dosing Grandma Into Submission
By 8.3.11
A pill is just so much easier. Drug ’em up and shut ’em up. Rather than deal with all the individual needs of elderly persons with dementia in their care, some nursing homes are dosing them with powerful antipsychotics. Not only have the folk not received a diagnosis that the medicine was designed to treat, not only does the drug turn them into zombies their families don’t recognize, but the FDA has warned that using antipsychotics on older patients with dementia nearly doubles their risk of death. [More]
Are You "Baller" Enough To Get Secret No-Contract Cell Service?
By 8.3.11
It’s buried on the websites but you could be saving on your cellphone service every month if you signed up for one of their no contract plans. Not only are you not locked into contract, the actual per-monthly bill is cheaper, for exactly the same plan. [More]
