tips

UPDATED: "My iPhone Is Missing, And Some Guy Is Taking Pics Of Himself With It!"

UPDATE 2: the phone has been returned!

Ten Ways To Take $100 Off Your Cable Bill

Ten Ways To Take $100 Off Your Cable Bill

Adam from Free Press sent us his tips for lowering his cable bill. Using these strategies, Adam reduced his monthly bill from $190 to $90, and added three movie networks, a sports package, and two additional boxes.

Cellphone Recycler Says 99% Of Phones Still Contain Personal Data

Cellphone Recycler Says 99% Of Phones Still Contain Personal Data

Regenersis studied a random sample of 2000 handsets processed during the first week in December and found that 99% of handsets received contained some sort of personal data, including: contacts, SMS messages, pictures, music, videos, calendar entries, emails, notes, mailing lists and to do lists. In some cases, extremely sensitive information was contained, including bank details, addresses, and confidential emails.

Watch Out For Supermarket Price Spikes

Watch Out For Supermarket Price Spikes

A penny-pinching reader discovered that Giant Eagle—a supermarket chain that heavily promotes a savings club where you earn slight discounts on gas—has some jacked up soup prices, especially on their private label. Remember, if you’re not comparison shopping among local supermarkets, you can expect easy-to-miss price spikes like this one to wipe out any savings you thought you were getting.

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Here are 11 fruits and vegetables that typically have low amounts of pesticides. Now we just need to find a recipe for asparagus pineapple onion salad. [The Daily Green]

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Save money by polishing your shoes with a banana. Monkeys have been doing it for millennia. [Huffington Post] (Thanks to daveburdick !)

Helpful Information For Those About To Impulse Buy A TV For The Superbowl

Helpful Information For Those About To Impulse Buy A TV For The Superbowl

We know you just can’t handle the thought of watching the magnificent Arizona Cardinals in standard def, so before you run out and buy the biggest TV at the store — here is some information from Consumer Reports that will help you be set up and ready to go by the time your Larry-Fitzgerald-jersey-wearing friends show up.

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Here’s a resource to help you determine whether your library lends digital media such as audiobooks and ebooks. It also helps you locate other libraries that offer digital lending. [Overdrive] (Thanks to jojo319!)

How To Tell If A 'Business Opportunity' Is A Multi-Level Marketing Scheme

How To Tell If A 'Business Opportunity' Is A Multi-Level Marketing Scheme

Kevin’s been invited to his friend’s house to hear about a great new business opportunity! He writes, “I did a quick Google search and… while the company appears to be legit, it seems that their way of marketing their products [is] almost pyramid scheme in nature.” The problem for Kevin, and anyone else researching this sort of thing, is it can be hard to tell how much you should trust any specific page of reviews or feedback. Here’s a clear 5-step evaluation to determine whether or not the next big thing is really a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme.

The Secrets Of Liquidation Sales

The Secrets Of Liquidation Sales

CNN Money has posted an informative article about what happens at liquidation sales. Some of the people quoted are fairly critical, but even the liquidation company execs that are quoted admit that a liquidation sale doesn’t exist for the benefit of the consumer. Here are the highlights.

Understanding Circuit City's "End Of Days" Return Policy

Understanding Circuit City's "End Of Days" Return Policy

Returning something to Circuit City? All sales are final during the liquidation, but if you bought it between January 1st and the 16th, you have a 14-day return window. However, if you bought it before January 1st, the original 30-day policy still applies. Your cashier might not know this, though, and try to deny the return. That’s what happened to Jason today when he tried to return a hard drive.

Tax Cat's 8 Tips For Choosing A Tax Preparer

Tax Cat's 8 Tips For Choosing A Tax Preparer

Tax Cat here. It’s that time of year again when our thoughts turn from the lovely holiday season to the pile of receipts and other crap that we don’t want to deal with — taxes. If you’re thinking of hiring someone to prepare your taxes this year — the IRS has some tips that will help you choose a qualified professional.

How To Read A Water Meter

How To Read A Water Meter

To make sure you’re paying the right amount on your monthly water bill, you should know how to read your water meter and compare it to the amount your utility company thinks it should charge you. As several readers pointed out previously, in some cities you can even do your own meter reading and call in the number each month. “But how do I read my water meter?” Here’s how.

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From Wikihow: 12 ways to teach your kids about money.

When Buying Travel Insurance, Find Out What's Covered First

When Buying Travel Insurance, Find Out What's Covered First

Richard is angry. He paid good money for travel insurance when he purchased tickets to Italy, and when he ended up having to work over vacation he canceled the trip and filed a claim. Access America denied it because being required to work during a trip isn’t covered by Richard’s benefit plan.

Save Money On Your Next Refurb Project, Shop At A Habitat ReStore

Save Money On Your Next Refurb Project, Shop At A Habitat ReStore

Did you know Habitat for Humanity operates retail outlets where they sell used and surplus building materials? Habitat ReStores are located in 47 U.S. states and 9 Canadian provinces.

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The consistently useful Get Rich Slowly has some New Year’s resolutions for you: 9 Methods for Mastering Your Money in 2009. We especially like methods 3 and 7, as they’re easy fixes that shouldn’t take more than a couple hours to implement.

Make 2009 Scam-Free With This List

Make 2009 Scam-Free With This List

Stephanie Zimmermann of the Chicago Sun-Times has put together a list of resolutions to prevent scams, cons, and cheats. We really like the suggestion that you find a reputable locksmith, plumber, A/C repairman, and mechanic now, instead of waiting until an emergency.