Saving money Archives - The Silicon Underground

Are thrift stores open on Sunday?

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 13:03:18 +0000

There is a perception that thrift stores are not open on Sunday. There was a time when that perception was more than just a perception, and in some parts of the country, it may be truer than in others. The

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What paperwork you need for a mortgage pre-approval

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:00:03 +0000

A friend is buying a house, or trying. And like many people of a certain age, he has very few adult friends who have ever gotten a mortgage. I have, so I know it’s a scary process. So let’s talk

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Remove cigarette smell from books

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 12:00:58 +0000

One of the best estate sales I ever attended was a sale in a modest St. Louis suburb that happened to be the estate of a computer programmer. The sale had almost everything I look for. Books, music, vintage computer

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Are hybrid cars worth it?

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 13:00:00 +0000

I’ve been driving a hybrid car for almost five years. If I’d had my way, I would have bought one much earlier, back in 2003, but I just couldn’t afford one then. Are hybrid cars worth it? Driving a hybrid

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Do solar panels work during a power outage?

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 13:00:18 +0000

The huge power outage in Texas in February 2021 got a lot of people thinking about solar. But a question quickly came up in all the conversations I had with people around the country. Do solar panels work during a

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Are expensive HDMI cables worth it?

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 13:00:28 +0000

The markup on cables is huge. The markup on premium cables is even bigger. That’s why the cable you need to connect your device to your TV frequently doesn’t come in the box. Making matters worse, it’s hard to know

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How to coupon Harbor Freight

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 13:01:15 +0000

Is Harbor Freight getting rid of coupons? That’s the rumor, but it’s not what’s happening. At any rate, the rules changed in 2021, so let’s talk about the new rules, and how to coupon Harbor Freight in 2023 and beyond.

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Do blackout curtains help with heat?

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 13:00:32 +0000

Blackout curtains help to keep light out, making them useful if you have a lot of light pollution at night or need to sleep during the day. But do blackout curtains help with heat? Do blackout curtains save energy? And

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Why are some books so expensive on Amazon?

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:00:24 +0000

Books are expensive, but some books are a whole other universe of expensive. There are generally three reasons for that. I don’t think I’m giving away any deep, dark secrets, so I’ll explain why some books are so expensive on

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House money pit solutions

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 12:00:10 +0000

My coworker asked me for my honest opinion whether his house is a money pit. It’s actually a less complicated question than it might sound. Any house can become a money pit, but most houses won’t, if we don’t let

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