Saving money Archives

Bringing back old HDTVs

Dave Farquhar Saving money December 9, 2014December 2, 2014antenna, samsung, usb device, VGA

Over Thanksgiving weekend I picked up a discarded 23-inch LCD HDTV, a Samsung LN-S2341W. The television’s biggest problem, it turned out, was that it didn’t have an ATSC tuner so it couldn’t pick up over the air broadcasts after analog broadcasts came to an end in 2009. Read more

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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Enerlites HOSS: an occupancy sensor switch without ground

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money November 18, 2014July 15, 2017curtains, led bulbs, occupancy sensor, red wire, thermal curtains

The Enerlites Top Greener HOSS is an occupancy sensor switch without ground wire requirements, and it’s pretty cheap too, at $12. A Lutron switch costs almost twice as much.

But the HOSS does come with some compromises. The HOSS does require a neutral (white) wire. But most switch boxes will have the whites in there and accessible, so that’s not a big deal. It’s also a bit trickier to wire than a Lutron, and it doesn’t look as nice.

That said, it’s nice to have an option for older houses that may not have a ground connection available. People in older houses need energy savings too. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Don’t buy a house if you can’t afford it

Dave Farquhar Saving money November 5, 2014July 3, 2018caulk, hardware store, mortgage, utility bills

I see the advice all the time not to buy a house if you can’t afford it, but rarely do I see a good explanation of what that means.

It’s really easy. Let me explain it, as someone who paid off a 30-year mortgage in five years and now co-manages rental property and has to determine if someone can afford to rent from us or will be over their head. And no, just because I’m a landlord doesn’t mean I think everyone should rent. There are definitely times when buying makes sense. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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How to repair a dryer

Dave Farquhar DIY, Landlording, Saving money November 4, 2014August 4, 2017thermostat, whirlpool

The other night I had a dryer go out. I had a few surprise expenses this month, so I really didn’t want to replace a dryer on top of the other things, so I looked into how to repair a dryer.

I learned quite a bit, but the most important thing was that I fixed a $200 dryer with $7.50 worth of parts, and it only took a few minutes.

Dave Farquhar

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Set up your retirement account. Just do it. Then forget it.

Dave Farquhar Saving money November 2, 2014February 25, 2020mortgage, stock market, stock scam, wilshire 5000

My new mortgage company wants to see the balance of my 401(K) account. That turned out to be a bit of a problem, but for the right reasons.

You see, I might or might not get 401(K) statements. I don’t look at them. Sometimes I save them. Usually I don’t. So I hadn’t looked at my 401(K) balance in years, and I really only had a vague idea what was in it. I knew there ought to be enough to make the lender happy.

What I found when I finally got my hands on a statement shows why part of my strategy is to never look at the account. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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The power company’s aid in saving energy

Dave Farquhar Saving money October 31, 2014July 17, 20171960s, 1980s

My local electric company is going to start including a power usage comparison on the monthly bill.

For the last several years, they’ve been sending one annually, but it’s not all that hard to miss it. This is why I generally know I use less electricity year over year, but I don’t know how many people actually see the report. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Don’t buy a “desktop replacement” laptop

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Saving money October 23, 2014November 29, 2015amd, asus, dell, Dell Inspiron, IBM, lifehacker, memory slots, model m

I found this oldie but goodie Lifehacker article: When two computers are cheaper than one. It advocates buying a cheap laptop and building a desktop PC to meet your computing needs.

I think it makes a lot of sense. A few weeks ago, a coworker asked me what the most I would be willing to pay for a laptop. I hesitated, thought for a while, and said you might be able to convince me to spend $600. “Wow,” he said. “I’m considering a $3,500 laptop.”

I wouldn’t. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Why you should avoid home warranties

Dave Farquhar Landlording, Saving money October 15, 2014July 3, 2018Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports advises not to buy home warranties. (Scroll past the horror stories to see the general advice why.) I agree. I’ve bought four home warranties and never got half my money’s worth. The last one I bought will be the last. Here’s why I avoid home warranties. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Some tough-love money advice I missed before

Dave Farquhar Saving money September 30, 2014July 17, 2017video game

I find little, if anything, to disagree with in this tough-love post from Mr. Money Mustache from February: Why the middle-class keeps giving itself the shaft.

I find several takeaways from it. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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My favorite LED bulbs for 2014

Dave Farquhar Saving money September 28, 2014February 21, 2015CFL, extra money, home depot, led bulbs, occupancy sensor, philips

After talking about LEDs last week, a friend asked what my favorite LED bulbs today are. I’m not sure I would say I dislike any of the bulbs that are widely available today, but I do have two favorites.

Dave Farquhar

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