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Posted
Sep 27 2007, 11:24 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
You've already reset the thermostat as low as you can comfortably go. Here's another way to cut your heating costs -- without moving to a smaller home. Make the sun your ally.
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Posted
Oct 02 2007, 09:33 PM
by
admin
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Get Rich Slowly . I hate plumbing. Whenever a faucet leaks or a drain clogs, my stomach sinks. I know it can mean hours of frustrating work. It's not that plumbing is difficult. I'm just not well-versed in the ways of home improvement. Somehow I missed that part of manhood training. Despite my apprehension, in 13 years of home ownership I've made it a point to do as much repair work as I can. It has saved me a lot of money. And while I'm a ball of nerves going into a project, I get tremendous satisfaction when I finish something and know that I did the work with my own hands. Yesterday we woke to find water on the floor of the upstairs bathroom. When we couldn't immediately locate the source of the leak, we debated calling a plumber. Because it was the weekend, and because we're trying to save money, my wife and I decided to tackle the problem as a team. While Kris buried herself in the Reader’s Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual , I took the toilet
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Posted
Oct 04 2007, 10:10 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Blogging Away Deb t raises a little-known point about those money- and energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs . They contain mercury, so if you break one, leave the room for 15 minutes before you even begin following special instructions for cleaning it up. And, depending on where you live, you may not be able to put the broken pieces out with your regular trash.
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Posted
Oct 19 2007, 10:45 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We know it's late in the season for some, but Bare Bones Gardening offers a cheap and easy way to build a trap for fruit flies . It involves a plastic bottle, a plastic straw and vinegar. Bare Bones, an Australian horticulturist with a do-it-yourself mentality, also provides this little-known tip: You can substitute a teaspoon of vinegar for each egg called for in a cake recipe.
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Posted
Nov 30 2007, 08:55 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
A tenant knocked last Saturday to tell me she'd broken off her key in the door. If this ever happens to you, try doing what I did: Insert a spare key until it touches the broken piece, then turn very gently.
After a few tries, the lock opened. Since I couldn't pry out the broken piece, I installed a replacement deadbolt. Just another day in the life of Super Resident Manager, saving the building owners an expensive weekend locksmith call.
My point? This was not a tough fix. Lock replacement is one of many repairs that can be done by the most amateur of handyfolks.
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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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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
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
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
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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