With a pair of hands, some raw materials and imagination, you can make a lot of things you’d otherwise buy. Your do-it-yourself projects may or may not measure up in quality to manufactured goods, but at least you’ll know whom to complain to if you’re not satisfied. [More]
projects
Oh, The Things You Can Do With An Old Wedding Dress
By 11.21.11
When Kevin’s wife left him, leaving only her wedding dress behind, he got creative with the garment, starting a blog that led to a book deal. The uses he has found for the dress are incredibly diverse, ranging from a scarecrow to a sports sign, jump rope and hammock. [More]
Create An Array Of Sliding Storage Bins On Your Garage Ceiling
By 10.6.11
They say that the key to organizing, especially in a small space, is to go vertical. Well you can’t go much more vertical than on top of the ceiling! That’s the idea for this DIY storage system that takes advantage of all that unused space above your head in the garage. [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]
Beat The Heat With A DIY Swamp Cooler
By 6.14.11
If you’re looking for a small, cheap way to cool a small area, it’s pretty easy to make your own “evaporative cooler.” Also known as “swamp coolers,” it’s basically any system that uses a fan to blow out rising cool water vapor. All you need is a fan, an ice chest, water and a few ice packs. How fancy you get after that is a matter of how much effort you want to put it to make it as efficient as possible, and whether you want it to be portable. Here’s a few Instructables to get you started: [More]
Delete All Facebook Apps You're Not Using
By 11.5.10
Here’s a fun lil’ project to protect your privacy in just a few minutes. Go through Facebook and delete all the apps you’re no longer using. That way they’ll no longer have access your data so they can’t mine it or sell it. Here’s how to do it. [More]
Make Your Own Snickers Bars!
By 4.25.10
If you’re doing something that is not as awesome as making your own Snickers bars, then we suggest you reconsider. [More]
Mount A Laptop To An Exercise Bike So You Can Sweat While You Work
By 2.8.10
If you’re stuck to a computer all day and are getting fat because of it, you might consider making yourself a laptop shelf for your exercise bike. Apparently it’s not that difficult. Whether or not it’ll make you lose weight – that remains to be seen. [More]
Make Your Own Zhu Zhu The Fad Robot Hamster Toy
By 12.16.09
If you have kids, you’re probably biting your nails down to the quick worrying how you’re going to find–much less pay for–this year’s super hot fad toy, Zhu Zhu the Robot Hamster. But don’t be so stupid! The thing about fad toys like Zhu Zhu is that they’re about 30% fun, 30% marketing, and 40% media hype. You can bypass all that nonsense and make your own in less than 20 minutes, and for a fraction of the cost. [More]
28 Cash-Saving Ways To Get Your House Winter-Ready
By 10.26.09
Brrrr! It’s getting cold and it’s time to get the ol’ homestead ready so Jack Frost isn’t picking your pocket through your unsealed windows and faulty furnaces. In the comments section on the popular “9 House Fixes To Save $ Before Winter Starts” post you guys left lots of great ideas on how you’re getting prepared this winter, so here’s 28 of the best of them so we can all learn and save together.
Avoid Being Scammed By Shady Contractors
By 8.10.09
Never, never open your door to a contractor who randomly appears offering to fix some unseen problem. You would think it’s common sense, but a California senior ended up paying a shady contractor $20,000 to perform $300 worth of work, and it took a sting operation to stop a Long Island contractor who was going door-to-door offering to plug nonexistent carbon monoxide leaks. So how can you protect yourself? Here are a few warning signs to beware….
StimulusWatch.org Helps Organize, Rate "Shovel-Ready" Projects
By 2.11.09
Know of a local want or need that you think the proposed stimulus package could support? At http://www.StimulusWatch.org, you can submit, comment on, and rate projects all across America that could really use those federal stimulus dollars. [StimulusWatch] (Thanks, Matt!)
Prepare For A Budget Meltdown By Conducting A Financial Fire Drill
By 1.17.09
You’re fired! Now what? It’s the nightmare scenario, and you can prepare for it by conducting a financial drill. Take a moment and pretend you have no income. Ask how you would pay pay for rent and food, and what lifestyle changes you could make on two week’s notice. To guide your planning, the New York Times has a few unorthodox and downright scary suggestions that are worth considering in a worst case scenario.
Three Cheap Recipes For DIY Windshield De-Icers
By 1.17.09
Throwing vinegar or alcohol on your frozen windshield might be more efficient than hacking away with an ice scraper and cursing the snow, according to Wisebread. Inside, three easy do-it-yourself de-icing recipes that are sure to make those frigid mornings a little more bearable.
By 5.1.08
../..//2008/05/01/there-is-a-man-in/
There is a man in Brooklyn who is investigating everything he purchases.
The Mission: A year-long effort to meet the laborers and craftsmen who build what I buy – and put a human face on consumption. For every transaction, there must be a personal connection with someone along the production chain.
Sounds tiring. [Gothamist]
Liberate Your Security Deposit By Acing Your Move-Out Inspection
By 5.27.07
Restoring an apartment can be easy, if done methodically. Thankfully, wikiHow has a useful room-by-room guide to help get your apartment spick-and-span.
Verizon Wants to Chat About -$1000 Bill
By 6.19.06
Back in mid-may, we decided that the best way to protest the phone companies selling our records to the NSA was to send our cell phone company a bill for $1000. What we did is take our Verizon bill, deduct $1000 from it, and enclose a copy of 18 USC 2701 with relevant secitons highlighted. Specifically, those parts saying that if anyone gives up your phone records, they can get fined $1000. Obviously, this is in jest. But Verizon’s taking it seriously enough to want to schedule a conference call with us.
American Dream Faces Setbacks in Peoria
By 5.24.06
There’s a scandal brewing in Peoria and it doesn’t smell like potpourri.
