No, this isn’t a post about Schoolhouse Rock. It’s about this month’s LivingWithBeth Cash Savings Challenge!
Believe it or not, it’s almost time to crank up the air conditioner, and with it, watch your monthly power bills rise into the stratosphere. If you’ve got electric heat, you may have already experienced some spiked bills from cold winter months.
Besides your air conditioning and heating, you might be surprised at what other things in your house use the most electricity.…
If you live in or near a city with a sizable well-to-do population, you can save a lot of money by visiting charity thrift stores on a regular basis.
I’m not just talking about clothing, either. You can find small kitchen appliances, dishes, silverware, blow dryers, curling irons, holiday decorations, home decor items, toys, books and more.
Keep in mind that most thrift stores won’t let you return anything, so you’ll want to check items carefully before buying.…
Did you know that your television set might have spied on you? It’s not just your cable or satellite company that knows a lot about your TV viewing habits.
Many modern television sets connect to the internet just like a computer. In fact, they contain computers that function somewhat like your smartphone or tablet.
These “Smart TVs” let you use apps to watch programming on the internet through services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.…
The tips in articles about saving money are often ridiculous and/or the same old tips you’ve seen dozens of times.
I read a post recently that advised paying off your mortgage more quickly. I don’t know why anyone would pay down their lowest interest rate loan if they also have high interest credit card debt.
The article went on to suggest not buying new cars every few years (duh) and cutting back on restaurant meals and nights out (no kidding).…
I received a robocall phone message last week from the phone number 703-349-0539. The caller ID said Falls Church, VA. The voice mail told me I was under investigation for tax fraud and needed to call back immediately to avoid prosecution.
How did I know this was not a legitimate call from the IRS? For one thing, I haven’t committed tax fraud.…
We tossed around the idea of getting rid of our pay TV service for years before finally cutting the cord last summer. I thought it would take way more time than it did. I also thought I’d miss it much more than I actually did.
Seriously, my family doesn’t miss our satellite TV at all. However, I’m not suggesting that everyone needs to cut the cord in order to pay less for TV service.…
When I asked for an Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas, I thought it seemed like a cool thing for a geek like me to have. I didn’t know that much about it, but soon after I set it up, I was blown away with what Alexa can do.
Alexa’s basic commands are pretty straightforward. For help, say “Alexa, help.” To stop, say “Alexa, stop.” To mute or unmute, “Alexa, mute” or “Alexa, unmute.” Alexa will even change the volume by command instead of using the buttons – “Alexa, louder,” “Alexa, set volume to 3,” or “Alexa, turn down the volume.”
Amazon has also added the ability to change Echo’s “wake word” in the Alexa app, so you can pretend you’re in Star Trek and say “Computer” instead of “Alexa.”
Alexa offers a bunch of smart home commands that I won’t cover here since I don’t have smart home devices to control with Alexa.…
Okay, so I admit that it’s a stretch to say that I couldn’t live without these items. Technically, I need food, air, water, shelter and that sort of thing to survive.
However, these 10 things contribute so much to my life that I’d really hate to live without them. This list isn’t all inclusive, but these are the things that come to mind when I think of what really makes my life easier and fuller.…
It’s funny how things come full circle in life. Kids tend to put off going to bed as long as possible. Grown-ups wish they could get more sleep. Getting enough sleep seems to be one of the things we sacrifice in order to have kids.
We definitely don’t want to waste whatever time we end up spending in bed, and using a high-quality mattress can make a huge difference in how well you sleep.…
If you’re like most people, you probably have loads of excess stuff crammed into your closets, garage, attic or basement that you’d like to get rid of. You might be surprised at the things you can actually sell on eBay, including old TV remotes, holiday decorations, toys, home decor and power cords unique to certain devices.
I’ve even sold electronics that didn’t work, including an old laptop.…