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AT&T vs Spectrum Internet

Dave Farquhar ISPs, Saving money July 30, 2018August 7, 2018 14 Comments

I’ve had high speed Internet for about as long as anyone in my ZIP code–as soon as DSL was available, I signed up and paid through the nose for it. It took a while for fiber to become an option, but I switched once I did. I’ve been a Southwestern Bell/AT&T customer for a good 17 years. Over the years I weighed it and AT&T vs Spectrum Internet.

I switched to Spectrum in 2016, then back to AT&T in 2018. There are pros and cons to each of them, so I thought going through them might be helpful. Keep in mind Spectrum encompasses several legacy companies. Charter Communications started re-branding itself as Spectrum soon before it acquired Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. Of the three, only Bright House Networks had a good reputation. Hence the use of the new name.

How to pay with Paypal on Amazon

Dave Farquhar Saving money June 28, 2018July 3, 2018 1 Comment

Sometimes you have a Paypal balance and would rather spend it somewhere other than Ebay. You’d also rather spend it without having to bounce the money into a bank account first. Here’s how to pay with Paypal on Amazon. Or anywhere else that doesn’t directly take Paypal.

A surprising number of merchants, including brick-and-mortar shops, take Paypal. And that number is increasing. But some regard Paypal as a competitor. Some competitors, such as Google, accept Paypal anyway, either out of antitrust concerns or concern that not taking Paypal is bad for their business. Amazon did not make the same decision. So in those cases like Amazon, you have to use a trick to spend money out of your Paypal balance there without taking intermediate steps. So I’ll tell you the trick, and how to set it up.

How to calculate monthly income from biweekly paycheck

Dave Farquhar Saving money June 21, 2018June 5, 2018 0 Comment

If you get paid every two weeks, calculating your monthly income can be tricky. You can fake it by just adding the two paychecks together, but you short yourself a couple of paychecks by doing that. That difference can be the difference between qualifying or not qualifying for a loan or a lease. So here’s how to calculate monthly income from biweekly paycheck.

Getting the math right on this is important. Adding two paychecks together is fine for a quick estimate, but it’s very easy to under-state your monthly income by 28 percent by making two simple mistakes. As you can imagine, that 28 percent can be more than enough to keep you from getting the loan or the lease you want. To do the math right, make sure you have your pay stub or pay statement handy, not just your bank statement.

How much should your mortgage be?

Dave Farquhar Saving money June 18, 2018June 5, 2018 0 Comment

How much should your mortgage be? One school of thought says it should be as much as possible. I belong to the other school of thought. There is a proven formula for housing costs. I recommend following the formula.

The formula helps you keep your housing costs in line with your salary and with a typical lifestyle balance. The key to financial decisions is keeping a balance while living within your means.

Best time to buy computer parts

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Saving money June 6, 2018May 24, 2018 0 Comment

Figuring out the best time to buy computer parts is tricky. It’s not quite like saying the best time to buy a TV is right around the Super Bowl. But there are some tips you can follow to help you find the best deals.

Good timing won’t make building a PC cheaper than buying one, but it can at least narrow the gap, if you have the patience to buy when you find a deal rather than buying all your parts in one shot.

Lease vs own: Which makes more sense?

Dave Farquhar Saving money June 4, 2018May 19, 2018 2 Comments

An important financial decision we all make, especially when it comes to cars, is lease vs own. I received some poor advice on this when I was young. Since I don’t want people to repeat the same mistakes I made, let’s go over the two options and what makes more sense.

What is a reseller?

Dave Farquhar Saving money May 8, 2018April 21, 2018 0 Comment

When you see a for sale ad, you may see phrases like “great for resellers” or “reseller ready” or “resellers welcome.” So what is a reseller? And why does someone selling something want to attract one?

I’ll answer those questions. And if you think you might want to be a reseller but don’t know where to start, I have some tips for that too.

Is it cheaper to build a PC?

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Saving money May 7, 2018May 6, 2018 0 Comment

Years ago, I was having lunch with a friend. “You probably don’t save much money by building a PC. I know when I build a mountain bike, I end up spending more.” His logic makes sense. But it’s worth exploring. Is it cheaper to build a PC?
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All my husband cares about is money

Dave Farquhar Saving money April 4, 2018April 2, 2018 0 Comment

It’s not an uncommon sentiment among women to say, “All my husband cares about is money.” As a man who’s been accused of the same thing himself, I don’t speak for your husband, but I may be able to provide some insight. I know it seems like all he cares about is money, but there’s something a little deeper there.

What are prices like at estate sales?

Dave Farquhar Saving money March 26, 2018July 3, 2018 0 Comment

I’ve long advocated shopping at estate sales as a way to save a lot of money. I frequently get lots of questions about them, for that reason, so I thought I’d try to share some insight. Most importantly, I’ll answer a key question: What are prices like at estate sales?

After all, it’s not uncommon to see a couple hundred people lined up in front of a house to get into an estate sale on Saturday morning. They aren’t standing in line expecting to get ripped off. Some are buying for themselves. Some buy to resell.

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