Quality HDTV available over-the-air for free with tuner!

For those that love television, there is nothing better than HDTV. The best part is that many people are missing out on this high quality alternative to standard broadcasting. There are more and more shows being broadcast over-the-air in high definition. Most sporting events, sitcoms, and late night talk shows can be seen in high definition if you have an HDTV tuner. Best of all, and unlike cable or satellite, once you have the tuner you can pick up high definition broadcast over the air for free. There is no monthly charge. On a computer, you can easily pick up an HDTV tuner for $100. One time fee, no monthly charge, and you can enjoy watching programming from the major networks in HDTV quality for free. It's really too good to pass up. Once you watch your first football game in HDTV, you will never go back, guaranteed. It's that much better. Yes folks, this site is about getting the most bang out of your buck!

Never rent appliances from an apartment.

Made this mistake before. An apartment I used to live in charged upwards of $40/month to rent a used washer/dryer to be installed in the apartment. Sounds really convenient doesn't it? The main advantage is that you don't have to worry about selling it when you move out. But beware, this seemingly small month to month cost can take a chunk out of your expenses. Wouldn't that money be put to better use paying the phone or cable bill? I mean, you still have to do laundry, but it doesn't need to be done so expensively. It's extra work to haul stuff to the laundromat but see it as yourself pocketing the change that you earned. After two months of renting the appliance, I hated the oldness and lack of features so I plunked down a few hundred to own. It was totally worth it.

Another plug for Costco!

In an earlier post, I discussed the advantages of shopping at wholesale megamarts like Costco but avoiding bad practices when buying in bulk. Now I would like to mention a recent phenomenom at Costco. They have been using coupons in recent years to lure customers back week after week with great savings on basic household items. It use to be just the summer months but now it happens pretty much all year long. Are they a good idea? The answer depends on how far your local Costco is and how much are you going to buy there. If your sole purpose is to purchase that one or two coupon item, you should save your energy. The key here is to create a running shopping list, have an adequate amount of items before you make the trip, and time the trips when the coupons are valid. You take advantage of the great coupon savings in an otherwise "typical" Costco trip. You didn't go out of your way just for the coupons. Supermarket and manufacturer's coupons are easier because they have a larger valid time frame.

A moment of silence.

Please take a moment out of your day to remember those who were affected by the tragedy of September 11 five years ago.

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God bless America.

Returning from spam jail!

Couldn't post the last few days because blogger.com had this blog blocked because it's automated spam detection system somehow confused it with a spam blog. I don't know if I should feel insulted. I'm just kidding. They just unblocked my account today and am finally free to post my experience. It's a good thing they are taking these steps to eliminate all those spam blogs out there with. It was just a minor inconvenience on my part but I believe in their mission in eliminating spam, so if I have to take one for the team, oh well then. Expect more money and misc tips to come!

Confusing gas purchase practices.

Hi all, over the labor day weekend I noticed many strange gas purchase habits by friends. For one thing, I noticed a few would drive a mile or two to the next station if the price was $0.02 cents lower. That makes no sense to me. And the station that was $0.02 lower had an extra long line because it was known by the locals for being the cheapest in a 5 mile radius. This is an expensive $0.02 per gallon to save in my book. First you have to burn about two miles of city driving gas to get there. Then you idle in line waiting for your turn to pump while the AC is keeping you comfortable in the hot summer sun. I would think these differences would eat up anything you can save. My personal habits are just to fill up when I need to, but just make sure the price is reasonable. That's my $0.02 forsaving on gasoline. What's yours?

Extra principal question... partly answered

After a little asking around, it seems like most people I talk to recommend paying down the mortgage when possible. This is more so necessary the higher the rate you are paying. Paying your mortgage off slowly can have the side effect of encroaching on your retirement budget in the future if you still have a huge principal laying around. Let me see if I can find good arguments on the other side. Still, with todays home prices, it would be forever before your mortgage disappear, has anyone thought about that?