Ship Your Luggage Separately

Save Money, Ship Your Luggage:
"You may spend less by using a shipping company -- rather than the airlines -- to get your bags to your destination.You may be able to save money by shipping your luggage rather than checking it in the next time you fly. The idea might sound absurd. But if you do the math – as Airfarewatchdog.com has done for you in this chart -- you’ll see that it would cost you less in some cases to send your bags to your destination by FedEx, UPS or U.S. Postal Service ground shipping."

My interest was piqued by this article because I found it soon after watching a CNBC special about the outrageous fees that airlines are tacking on to the cost of your flight.
An added benefit to separate shipping, besides cost savings, is that you'll have the peace of mind knowing that your luggage wont get lost when you use major carriers like FedEx and UPS.

It's a short article, but well worth the read.

Publish Your Future Best Seller For FREE

FREEdom of Expression | Lulu Blog: 
"I don’t know about you, but my favorite price is always free. Love and ideas are some of the greatest things in life, and both are completely free. They are also the main components in creating a book. When you love what you’re writing and you come up with interesting and intriguing new ideas, you write great books. At Lulu, our goal is to empower you to do what you love and help you publish a great book.

To help you finish your next book we’re making it easier than ever by providing you with a free copy! If you publish something new between 2/16 and 3/16, we’ll send you a FREE proof copy."

Did I ever tell you how much I love the word FREE.
If you've ever dreamed of being a published author, here's your ticket to a freebie.
A Raleigh company and self-publishing Web site Lulu.com is offering customers the chance to publish one book for free through March 16. All you need is a manuscript (and a catchy title, of course).
The book can be paperback or hardcover, up to $25 in value. You upload your manuscript and design your book online. Just go to Lulu.com and click on the giant "Get a free book" banner at the top of the page.

The deal is real and even if you aren't a serious Novelist In The Making, this would be awesome for creating a customized gift for someone (or even a gag gift).
Think about the possibilities..........
Did I mention it's FREE

Clean Out Your Computer Day

Feb. 8 is Clean Out Your Computer Day – WebWorkerDaily: 
"It can be hard to remember to routinely clean out your computer — whether that means running virus scans or organizing your files. That’s why having a day devoted to making sure that your computer is working well and that you can find anything you need on it is a good idea. The Institute for Business Technology originally sponsored a National Clean Out Your Computer Day several years ago, assigning it to the second Monday in February. It’s a holiday well worth adding to your calendar."

This is an interesting subject.

- Unfortunately the article is too short.

- Fortunately the comment section more than makes up for the lack of detail.

As for me, I keep my software up to date, and my files organized as part of my daily routine. I don't have to bother to schedule anything in that area, it's just part of the way that I work.

Cleaning the inside of my desktop is another story, it is a little time consuming but a must do task. It is just as important as changing the oil and topping off the fluids in your car.

Removing dust from the computer vents increases the internal air circulation, dust that is left on the circuit boards can slow down and interfere with the connections running through the circuit boards. Cleaning the inside of your computer prevents it from overheating which is the most common cause of  computer's Sudden Death Syndrome.

In my case I schedule about two hours every six months to take the side panel off and attack the dust bunnies that have found a warm comfortable home in my computer. Most articles recommend using compressed air to blow the dust out, but I've found that a Shop Vac works much better. It doesn't spread the dust from one part of the machine to another like the compressed air does. Most importantly it keeps your work area clean and dust free.

When it comes to laptops, there's not much to do other than cleaning the vents of dust and debris. This is where the Shop Vac method really surpasses the use of compressed air, because the dust and debris is sucked out of the case instead of being blown into it. 

Read the article, pour over the links provided in the comments section, and extend the life of your PC by quite a few years.

In Tough Economic Times - Haggle

Shoppers Take Haggling To New Heights - Washington Post: 
"The price tag on the smooth pair of Cole Haan loafers at Macy's said $148.
I considered that a fair opening bid.
Standing across from the salesman and the cash register, I said, 'Can you knock off 25 percent?'"

As I said in this Wednesday's post Save Money - Just By Asking -

"I love these types of articles."

For the last few decades with everyone thinking they were rich beyond belief, bartering and haggling fell out of the national vocabulary of Americans. Haggling was synonymous with being cheap, or worse poor. The recent economic down-turn, however, has unleashed the inner haggler in people like me, and made it a great time for you to start if you'd been resistant to becoming a haggler or thought it awkward or socially unacceptable. This Washington Post article highlights the shift in American spending.

So just to remind you, Never Pay Retail!

Just Shoot Me

Now that I'm getting on in years my Doctor prescribed an Ace Inhibitor called Altace to control my slightly elevated blood pressure and to keep my heart healthy. I read a new study which shows that an added benefit of the drug is that it appears to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
It's quite apparent that none of the people in this video are availing themselves of the aforementioned medication. 

If I ever get old enough or senile enough to embarrass myself like the folks in this video,
I give you permission to form a firing squad and:

               Just Shoot Me

Save Money - Just by Asking

Fiscal Fitness: Save $157.86 Just by Asking - Manage Your Life on Shine:

"A serious customer with cash to spend can really call the shots these days on everything from electronics to housing to a root canal. Really.
A 2007 Consumer Reports survey found that 90% of customers who negotiated with a salesperson got a price break on at least one purchase over a three-year period. They nabbed deals on furniture, electronics, appliances and even medical care, netting the best of the hagglers savings of $50 or more. And that was before the economy went all kamikaze.
In other words, it really does pay to ask, particularly these days when retailers and service providers are struggling to get any cash flowing through the registers."

I love these types of articles.

When I was younger and going through my YUPPIE stage, it used to be "bad form" to haggle about the asking price of anything. If you did, your friends would call you a cheapskate, skinflint, tightwad, penny pincher, and a whole lot of other things that can't be mentioned in mixed company. If you did it a few times you ran the risk of being ostracized, never to be invited to "The Hamptons" again.

When I grew older and wiser I morphed from a YUPPIE with scads of disposable income, to an OUFIE (Old Urban Failure) who was constantly short on cash. Asking waiters for Doggy Bags became the norm when eating out. My transformation became complete the day I was at a Flea Market and saw an item I liked with a $50 price tag on it. For some reason I asked the seller if he was still running his "famous 50% off sale." Much to my surprise he said yes, and I got the item for $25, cash, no tax. It was then that I realized everything in life was negotiable. Since that time I've never paid retail for anything unless it was an absolute emergency.

I posted this article with the hope of making someone out there take the plunge and start negotiating price reductions "Just By Asking."

Remember, Never Pay Retail!