Archives for April 2006

…but I’m not. Funny how small talk with people has shifted from the weather to complaining about gas prices these days. From the grocery store to neighbors to well, the guy pumping my gas! The reason I don’t really stress about it is that combined, the both of us drive less than 10,000 miles a year. I don’t track my MPG or even look at the receipt when I fill up. The sad thing is that gas prices can really affect those barely making ends meet anyways. But if you’re loading your groceries into your 4WD Land Bruiser or Ford Extinction, watch me not sympathize.

Anyhow, I should give some tips. Lots of good info at FuelEconomy.gov. Also save 10-15 cents a gallon by using a 5% cashback card from Citibank or Discover. If you haven’t noticed, I’m still a bit grouchy today. =/

I hate moving. But one perk is that I get to become a ‘new’ customer again for Comcast. You may recall that I bargained myself down to $19.99/mo for six months for Comcast High-Speed Internet last year (saving $138). Now that those six months are over, I need a new deal! Well, right now the Comcast offer for new customers is:

» 6 months at $19.99/month
» Free cable modem after $80 mail-in rebate ($9 shipping)
» Free wireless modem
» $75 cash back rebate. (now maybe $100?)

Well, new address + wife’s name = new customer. =) Not counting the modem, that’s a savings of ($43-$20)x 6 months + $75 = $213! I usually don’t like rebates, but I’ll do these. If you are a current Comcast customer and can live without internet for 60 days, you can also get in on this deal.

As we pack up our things for our move down the road, my wife and I are constantly arguing about what to throw away and what to keep. Of course, I think all her stuff is “stuffed animals and junk”, and all my stuff is “useless gadgets and crap”. I think both terms are accurate!

I call this weird human condition the EATIOs (kinda like Cheerios). It’s short for Emotional Attachment To Inanimate Objects. This is not even restricted to things like cars or houses. There are things in our basement that we have not touched or thought about within the last year, but yet when the other person moves to throw it away or sell it, the other gets this deep visceral reaction to keep it. Some disputed items:
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I just ran across MagazinePriceSearch.com, which helps you compare prices on subscriptions, with some even rivaling those on eBay. Beware that some sites listed auto-renew you when the subscription expires! Some current examples (none of these auto-renew):

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance – $4.91 for 3 yrs. (36 issues)
Forbes – $6 for 2 yrs. (52 issues) $6 for 1 yr (26 issues)
U.S. News & World Report – $8.73 for 1 yr. (52 issues)

I just picked up Forbes for some cheap bathroom reading. [Update: My initial Forbes order was cancelled. What a waste of time. You can get $6 for 1 year from another site.]