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Posted
Jan 15 2008, 07:01 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This is an amazing concept: A Web site called gethuman.com gives instructions for avoiding the interminable voice menus used by companies and government agencies -- and reaching a real customer-service person. We're bookmarking this baby. If the company you need to contact isn't listed, a tips page tells you how to find the phone number and gives some suggestions for reaching a person, like punching the zero on your phone repeatedly, mumbling when the machine tells you to speak, or asking for "account collections," which generally is quick to answer the phone. "When you do finally find a human, ask them how to connect directly the next time (in case your call gets disconnected, etc.), and be sure to tell us so we can then list their number here," the site says.
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Posted
Jan 11 2008, 02:23 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
An Iowa mother billed herself as the "meanest mom on the planet," but some bloggers disagree. "Kudos to Jane Hambleton, who sold her 19-year-old son's car after she found alcohol under the front seat," writes Chief Family Officer. Adrienne at Baby Toolkit said her husband and fellow blogger, Jim, was almost killed in a crash with a drunken driver. "I'm really proud of Jane Hambleton for going public with this important lesson for parents and young drivers," she writes.
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Posted
Jun 26 2009, 09:48 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Mark Huffman at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Still having problems receiving certain channels following the June 12 transition to digital TV? The Federal Communications Commission suggests "double rescanning," and double-checking and relocating your antenna.
Meanwhile, local broadcasters are working to resolve any problems on their end.
Many consumers already know about the need to run the "scan" function on their digital converter boxes or digital TV sets periodically following the June 12 digital TV transition. Scanning searches for and "remembers" the available digital broadcast channels.
But in some cases where stations moved their digital frequencies on June 12, simple scanning may not be enough. There is a procedure -- sometimes called "double rescanning" -- that can clear your box's memory of saved channels. These earlier scans may have saved channel information that is now incorrect.
There are five simple steps to a double rescan for a converter box or digital TV:
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Posted
Aug 20 2008, 09:53 PM
by
Ryan MacClanathan
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Call me a geek, but I love new software. I love exploring
the options, I love customizing my settings and I love playing with all the new
bells and whistles.
Most of all, I love it when new software is free.
Randy at Fiscal Zen
has a handy set of links to 12
of his favorite free Windows applications -- everything from a tool to
help you organize digital photo collections to a free Internet music service.
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Posted
Aug 18 2008, 11:15 PM
by
Ryan MacClanathan
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial
Prosperity.
Upselling is when a salesperson
tries to sell you something more expensive than what you are already buying.
Cross-selling is when a salesperson tries to sell you something that is related
to or can be integrated into whatever you're already buying.
A prime example is a digital camera.
If you were buying a 5-megapixel camera, an upsell would be an offer of a 7-megapixel
camera at a reduced price. A cross-sell would be offering a camera case,
digital printing services, printers or even just printer paper. Upselling and
cross-selling are crucial parts of the sales process because you've already
identified yourself as someone willing to buy something. Now it's just a matter
of convincing you to buy more.
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Posted
Nov 12 2008, 02:29 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
With the growth of online options for education and entertainment, we're grateful to bloggers who direct readers to the best sites. Here are a couple of posts that can help you. Mark offers "10 free online educational video options" at Ace Online Schools. He adds, "Great, now there's no excuse to be stupid." Once you've gotten your fill of intellectuals, science nerds and Al Gore, move on to Cap's "7 Web sites for fast, easy and free entertainment" at Stop Buying Crap.
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Posted
Feb 01 2008, 09:28 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Joseph S. Enoch at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com. I never considered myself one of those "audio-video guys." But after my friends and I finished the final touches to my high-definition projector, and we sat down to watch "The Bourne Identity" on my 125-inch HD screen, I realized why some men flip over home theaters. But what I didn't understand is why they would spend as much as $10,000 to do it. I built a knockout home-theater system for $1,650 -- less than the price of almost any new 40-inch HDTV. Here's how I did it:
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Posted
Oct 23 2008, 07:03 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Carrie Kirby at partner blog Wise Bread. Think your cable bill isn't that big a deal? Think of it this way: It's "like buying a new 50-inch TV each year and tossing it in the Dumpster," asserts the Web site CancelCable.com. Fortunately, it's now easier than ever to enjoy a good picture and a wide range of programming without paying the cable company. Here are the changes and services that are allowing more and more people to cut the cable:
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Posted
Dec 14 2007, 03:07 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
You pay good money for that cell phone service, but how often does it let you down? Paul Michael at partner blog Wise Bread notes that your reception usually is bad when you need it most: when your car breaks down or an axe murderer is chasing you through the woods. So his post about "5 quick ways to boost your cell phone reception" is a must-read. Most of these methods are incredibly simple. Paul tested each one and reports on the results.
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Posted
Sep 04 2009, 06:39 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller.
What costs more per ounce than imported Russian caviar? At $22 per quarter-ounce, the cost of printer ink cartridges reminds us of why we got that inkjet printer for "free" when we bought our last computer.
Last month my wife took our kids to Staples to get school supplies. They called me while they were there to ask if we should get replacement printer cartridges for our HP OfficeJet 6310 printer. We then spent 10 minutes on the phone figuring out how many we needed, how many we could afford, and questioning why HP printer cartridges cost so much.
And every time we need to buy printer cartridges, I promise myself I'm going to look into lower-cost alternatives. Even if it means buying a new, more expensive printer, it's worth the investment if the ink refills don't cost an arm and a leg. The problem is that the ink cartridges run out of ink so fast, we're back to the store to buy more before I've figured out an alternative.
Well, I've finally done the research and found some lower-cost alternatives. The alternatives include: finding places to buy brand printer ink cartridges for less, using remanufactured ink cartridges, using printer ink refill kits, and buying printers that use less-expensive ink. None of these solutions will make printing "cheap," but they all can save a lot of money.
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