David L. Farquhar, computer security professional, train hobbyist, and landlord
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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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.
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. I have some tips on finding estate sales if this sounds intriguing.
Never buy a house. Some people say that’s the best advice they’ve ever received. Depending on your personality type, or where you are in life, I get that. So let’s take a look at the pros and cons of not owning your own home.
Media mail is just about the least expensive shipping method the US Postal Service offers. But many people abuse it, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally. So how do you get media mail rates, and more importantly, what qualifies as media mail? What is considered media mail by the USPS?
Generally speaking, for things to qualify as media mail, remember two rules. If you wouldn’t find it in a public library or university library, it probably doesn’t qualify. And if it contains advertising, even very old ads that are no longer valid, it almost certainly doesn’t qualify. If it’s a book or a sound recording with only incidental announcements, it’s OK. Anything beyond that is only OK if it meets very specific criteria.
What are thermal curtains? Thermal curtains are thick curtains with multiple layers of fabric and a layer of foam to help block the flow of heat. This helps you save energy, while also having sound dampening effects.
Thermal curtains work similarly to blackout curtains. But since their intended purposes are slightly different, a thermal curtain might have some shortcomings as a blackout curtain, and vice versa. If you want a curtain to do both, make sure it actually states that it does both. Otherwise, I recommend getting dark-colored thermal curtains. A blackout curtain may not block as much heat as you would like. Similarly, a light-colored thermal curtain might let in more light than you like.
It sometimes surprises people that you can wash a toothbrush in a dishwasher. But there’s no reason why you can’t, to prolong their useful life. And the toothbrush in dishwasher trick is a good way to stay healthier in the winter.
I frequently get questions like, “How much mortgage can I afford on 100K?” Or any other amount. The amount doesn’t really matter; you can do the math on any annual salary or combination of salaries. The important thing is to do the math yourself. So here’s how to figure out how much mortgage you can afford.
Living mortgage free isn’t a pipe dream, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to live in a hovel to achieve it. Ordinary people on ordinary incomes in ordinary homes can generally achieve it in less than seven years. I know, because my wife and I did it. Twice.
My wife and I live in a middle-class suburb in a good school district. By some standards our 1,600-sqft house is small, but we can live there comfortably as a family of four. It took sacrifices to pay off, but I wouldn’t call it extraordinary sacrifice.
When you can’t afford furniture, believe it or not, you have options. It’s also a more common problem than you may think. Here are some offbeat options to help you find furniture until you can afford something better. It’s entirely possible to furnish your home inexpensively if you need to.