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Posted
Jul 27 2009, 07:56 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from "vh" at Funny about Money.
How much do you figure your neighbor's dog (cat, parrot, boa constrictor, tame alligator) costs you? I have to say, I expect my own pets to be destructive and figure the repair bills to be part of the cost of doing business. But one thing we tend not to budget for is the depredations of other people's critters.
While M'hijito's roommate was in Singapore visiting his relatives and hustling for a job, he left his brand-new Infiniti parked in the driveway (Roommate is the scion of a ridiculously wealthy family).
Quick backstory: Some time back, Roommate became enamored of a cat belonging to the old guy who lives in the house behind M'hijito's place. He took to feeding and watering the beast, much to M'hijito's disgust (it uses the vegetable garden as its litter box), and he has thought of it as "his" cat. In his absence, the cat has taken up residence on top of the Infiniti, where it sleeps at night, out of reach of hunting coyotes and stray pit bulls.
So the other day as M'hijito was headed out to work, he noticed a couple of brown mounds on top of the Infiniti. On closer inspection ... oops! Cat mounds!
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Posted
Dec 18 2008, 01:29 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
America's criminals apparently aren't aware of the phenomenal discounts available this holiday season on flat-screen TVs. Crooks are breaking into restaurants and bars and taking huge but lightweight TVs right off the walls. One establishment, Kayson's Bar and Grill in Smyrna, Ga., has been hit three times in the three weeks it's been in business, a TV station reports. Those bad guys were videotaped, as were the bozos who stole TVs from the Irish Bred Pub in Hapeville, Ga.
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Posted
Dec 08 2008, 11:41 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Is your home one of the estimated 15 million to 35 million in the U.S. that have Zonolite insulation in the attic or walls? It likely contains asbestos, and you'd have to be living under a rock not to know what that stuff can do to your health. Because of a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit against manufacturer W.R. Grace and Co., which filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 in 2001, help may be forthcoming to pay for the cost of removing Zonolite from your home. For obvious reasons, this is not a do-it-yourself project.
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Posted
Jul 08 2008, 07:37 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
If you've lived in Florida, you know about flea infestations, dive-bombing palmetto bugs, tarantula-size spiders, and other creepy-crawlies you wish would go belly up in the night. Whether you're facing super-sized bugs or standard household invaders, you'll welcome some pet- and child-safe frugal pest-control measures. Two posts on the subject were featured in this week's Festival of Frugality.
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Posted
May 20 2008, 11:18 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
A rash of break-ins at Andy's apartment complex prompted him to think about improving security. He found that the cost of a monitored security system would run about $1,200 for the year, including $500 for installation. Yikes. He came up with some low- and no-cost alternatives and lists them in a post at Saving to Invest. For instance, what would it cost you to turn down your phone ringer before you leave home?
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Posted
Apr 25 2008, 03:55 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Fox" at Squawkfox emptied her purse the other day, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Honestly, Fox, do you need to carry wadded-up paid and unpaid bills, expired coupons, chocolate and dental floss, not to mention mounds of makeup and assorted other girl things? "Are there things we should never carry in our purse or wallet?" she says. "Certainly, bringing bags of bills along with me every day is silly. But seriously, could a cluttered purse or wallet cost you if lost or stolen?" Oh yeah, and No. 1 among those things that should be left at home with the bills is your Social Security card.
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Posted
Apr 23 2008, 06:35 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller. I've been talking with my insurance agent over the past few weeks about flood insurance. It may not be as exciting as Dr. Phil's marital debacle, but then again, Dr. Phil is unlikely to destroy my home.
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Posted
Jan 09 2008, 02:33 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Plenty of people have paid big bucks to live in gated communities, thinking they've insulated themselves from some of life's problems. Author Barbara Ehrenreich, in a post at Barbara's Blog and AlterNet, said that isn't necessarily so. "There are studies indicating that there are no differences in the crime in gated communities and non-gated communities," she wrote. They also aren't immune to the recent wave of foreclosures. She correctly observes that "there's no fence high enough to keep out the repo man."
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Posted
Dec 18 2007, 02:06 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Lisa Wade McCormick at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com. Consumers aren't just worried about lead in their children's toys -- and their pet's toys -- this holiday season. They're also worried about lead in their Christmas decorations. Consider this warning Cathy R. of Sickleville, N.J., found on a box of Christmas lights she recently purchased at Target: "Handling the coated electrical wire on this product exposes you to LEAD, a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after use.'" Cathy said she is shocked that Target would sell tainted merchandise. "Normally children help when putting decorations up, which not only would expose the adults, but the children to lead," she told us. "I am appalled that Target or any other store would sell such products. In this day and age with all the recalled items from China that contain lead, I can't believe that any store -- especially Target under their own brand -- would put these out for consumers."
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Posted
Dec 06 2007, 06:14 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Amy B. Scher at partner blog Wise Bread. We've finally just figured out how to stay cool for the summer, and now it's getting chilly (or already has, depending on where you live). Time to switch gears, pull out the extra blankets, and figure out how to keep your money from flying away with the wind this winter. When it’s cold outside, the cost of staying comfy often starts to heat up. Here are a few ways to survive with just a little bit of effort and not a lot of dough.
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