tips

Man Turns Chevy Trailblazer Into Giant Cellphone

Man Turns Chevy Trailblazer Into Giant Cellphone

By consumerist.com 1.18.08

Wayne shares a cool Chevy/On-Star/Verizon billing hack that reduces his monthly bills:

I just bought a new Chevy Trailblazer which came equipped with On-Star and hands-free phone service. The hands-free service was provided through a pre-paid plan with Verizon Wireless. I called Verizon and they actually put my Chevy onto my already existing Family Plan for $9.99 a month. Now, my car is a giant cell phone with all the same calling features of a regular phone ( Verizon to Verizon for free, free evenings and weekends, etc… ).

Sweet deal, no doubt it would work for any other car prequipped with On-Star. Anyone else hack their car’s hands-free service in a similar way?

6 Confessions Of A Former RadioShack Employee

6 Confessions Of A Former RadioShack Employee

By 1.11.08

Note: This is not a rant or venting session. I was laid off after the holidays, and I have no hard feelings about it ( Layoffs happen to everyone these days) . This is simply a guide to shopping at RadioShack ( henceforth known as RS) for any consumer who likes or buys electronics,written by someone who’s sold far too much of them.

Get AT&T Dry Loop/Naked DSL In 5 Minutes

Get AT&T Dry Loop/Naked DSL In 5 Minutes

By 1.9.08

Reader Michael writes in to share his 5 minute technique for switching to AT&T’s dry loop or “naked” DSL.

Don't Forget To Claim Your Student Loan Deduction

Don't Forget To Claim Your Student Loan Deduction

By cwalters 1.8.08

If you paid on student loans last year, don’t forget that you can deduct the interest paid up to $2,500 as long as your parents don’t claim you as a dependent, writes Kiplinger. “You can deduct up to $2,500 in student-loan interest paid in 2007 if your income for the year was $55,000 or less if single, or $110,000 or less if married filing jointly.” If you make under $70k single or $140k married, you can still take a partial deduction.

Citibank Gives You 6 Minute Window To Write To Them

Citibank Gives You 6 Minute Window To Write To Them

By cwalters 1.7.08

Citibank’s online form for communicating with their customer service department times out after 6 minutes, a customer discovered—after that, it looks like it successfully sends your message, but actually just discards it.

The Truth About Kobe Beef

The Truth About Kobe Beef

By cwalters 1.3.08

Real Kobe beef can only come from one region of Japan—and since the U.S. has banned Japanese beef imports due to mad cow fears, the best you can hope for now in an American restaurant is Kobe-style beef, writes Debonair Magazine. They explain what to look for if you’re shopping for this premium beef in the U.S., and the best way to prepare it.

By cwalters 1.3.08

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Clean the coils on your fridge monthly to save energy and extend the life of the appliance. “Clean the coils by brushing them off or by using the brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner. If the coils are behind a grill, remove the latter and use a brush made just for this purpose.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

Stressed? Grab A Last Minute Cruise Deal

Stressed? Grab A Last Minute Cruise Deal

By 12.31.07

Last minute deals are so great because they represent revenue that would otherwise be lost to the company offering it. The cruise ship will set sail with a full complement of crew and supplies regardless of the actual passenger count and an empty cabin represents a lot of lost revenue so selling it at a discount to the rack price is something they’re very much willing to do. It’s why hotels and airlines sometimes have last minute fares and discounts, an empty room or seat is lost revenue.

How To Get Cash From Best Buy With Only A Gift Receipt

How To Get Cash From Best Buy With Only A Gift Receipt

By 12.27.07

Reader Nick writes in with a bit of social engineering.

CNN Wants You To Be Very Afraid Of Parking Lots

CNN Wants You To Be Very Afraid Of Parking Lots

By cwalters 12.21.07

CNN has a hilarious article about shopping safety that you should certainly read before you hit the mall this weekend for last-minute gifts. We’re all for safety, but according to this article, letting your senior citizen wander off from the rest of the family is like like tying a fawn to a skateboard and pushing it into a den of lions: “He has to be at least 75 or 80 years old. Now, he’s a potential victim.”

By 12.20.07

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Hey sick people! If you have the norovirus, or stomach flu, stay home and stop giving it to everyone else via the holiday party punchbowl. Ok? [WSJ Health Blog]

Vacuum Kills Fleas As Effectively As Poison, Say Researchers

Vacuum Kills Fleas As Effectively As Poison, Say Researchers

By cwalters 12.19.07

If you end up with a bad case of Christmas Fleas next week—hey, we’re not judging—save yourself the expense of buying flea poison. “Vacuum cleaners kill fleas just as well as any poison, surprised U.S. researchers said,” noting that a “standard vacuum cleaner abuses the fleas so much it kills 96 percent of adult fleas and 100 percent of younger fleas.” Of course, you won’t be able to train them after that, but it’s your decision.

USPS Asks That You Write Addresses Clearly To Speed Up The Holiday Mail Season

USPS Asks That You Write Addresses Clearly To Speed Up The Holiday Mail Season

By 12.14.07

This coming Monday is the busiest day of the year for the USPS and they’d really appreciate it if you’d write your addresses in clear handwriting, so the computers can read them without human help.

Cutting Back On Features When Gadget Shopping

Cutting Back On Features When Gadget Shopping

By cwalters 12.12.07

The next time you go shopping for a camera, cell phone, video recorder, or other gadget, you can save money by deciding what features you really need, and moving down the model line instead of up to the most feature-packed gizmo, writes SmartMoney. For example, “Only 31% of cellphone owners actually use their phone to take pictures, while only 15% browse the Internet, and less than 10% listen to music, download games or watch videos.”

9 Better, Cheaper Ways To Search Amazon

9 Better, Cheaper Ways To Search Amazon

By cwalters 12.6.07

The Amazon home page has somewhere around 16 different sales pitches, and more unnecessary graphics than a MySpace page. Here are 9 money-saving ways to shop the site without waiting for another customized ad to render.

10 Tips For Lowering Your Taxes

10 Tips For Lowering Your Taxes

By cwalters 12.4.07

This list of ten tips to reduce taxes was published nearly a year ago, but they’re still relevant, and we thought now would be a good time to share them before Kiplinger releases its new “10 Ways” list later this month. Among the tips: make sure you load up your retirement accounts and flexible spending accounts, and remember that the government gives you a 2 ½ month grace period on reimbursing yourself from an over-funded flex account.

How To Avoid The Medicare Donut Hole

How To Avoid The Medicare Donut Hole

By cwalters 11.27.07

Anyone who has Medicare and takes lots of drugs or a few very expensive ones (or who has an older relative who does) knows about the dreaded “donut hole”—the gap in coverage that happens each year if you have to spend a lot of money on prescriptions. If you’re above the poverty level but don’t have good gap insurance, it can be financially devastating. The New York Times notes that for a quarter of at-risk patients, planning ahead with generics may help you skirt the donut hole altogether. The big stumbling block is that you have to be prepared to discuss your personal finances with your doctor.

Saving Money The Lazy Way

Saving Money The Lazy Way

By cwalters 11.17.07

If you’re like approximately 25% of the writers at The Consumerist, then prolonged talk of budgeting makes your eyes glaze over with boredom as you imagine yourself somewhere else doing something fun, like playing a video game or looking at pornography. Here, then, is a list of 10 so-called “easy” ways to save money, none of which require that you read a book or finally open that Quicken box your parents bought you two years ago. Many (or most) of the ideas may be of dubious value, but nobody said being lazy was profitable.

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