The article below discusses the risks of buying drugs online. Please see article in lower left hand corner.
Source: AARP Bulletin December 2012
http://pubs.aarp.org/aarpbulletin/201212_DC?folio=8#pg8
Monday, December 24, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Manuals For Consumer Electronics
If you need a manual for a consumer electronic, the link below provides manuals for them. The site has more than 100,000 manuals for more than 1,000 brands.
http://www.retrevo.com/samples/index.html
http://www.retrevo.com/samples/index.html
Monday, December 10, 2012
Credit/Debit Card Monitor
There is a web site that acts as an anti virus for bills - www.billguard.com. You can register up to 3 credit/debit cards (register more than 3 for a fee). This web site reviews the transactions billed to the registered cards and does the following:
- Monitors transactions for deceptive, fraudulent, and suspicious purchases on the registered cards.
- Monitors for unwanted charges like for subscriptions, hidden fees, billing errors, and scams.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Free Calls, Texting, Picture Sharing
If you want to be able to make free calls, free texts, and free picture sharing, you may want to try an app called Viber. The app is good for most I phones, and select Android and other cell phones. You can do these aforementioned features with anyone anywhere in the world who has a Viber app.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Hospital Safety Grading & Comparing
There are two relatively new rating systems to see how safe a hospital before checking in, and they are as follows:
SOURCE: AARP Bulletin - November 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Check The Facts
If you want to check the truth in journalism and not get fooled, check the facts with the following web sites:
- FastCheck.org. - Provides careful analysis of claims made by politicians and other newsmakers. Its scope is national.
- PolitiFact.com - It rates politicians' claims. It has links to 11 affiliated state fact checking organizations.
- WashingtonPost.com/blogs/facts-checker - Awards "Pinocchios" for political falsehoods. It is national in scope.
- UrbanLegends.about.com - Debunks political and other misleading claims. It is national in scope and has photos and videos.
- Snopes.com - debunks all sorts of myths, including those spread by viral emails
- VoteSmart.org - Features an interactive website where you enter your address and the issues most important to you and it responds with an array of candidates for national offices that you are eligible to elect with their photos on campaign posters. The larger the poster, the closer that candidate's positions are to your own.
Source: The Costco Connection, November, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Car Insurance Premium Savings
See the link below for a possible way
to reduce your car insurance premium by considering telematics. According to the article, the good news
is that your car insurance rate probably will not go up even if you are lousy driver. You would
need to check with your insurance
company to see if your insurance company offers this device, and if so
are there any disadvantages or costs to you associated with this program.
Source: Chicago Tribune October 28, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Spam
If you get spam texts on your cellphone, it would be a good idea to forward the texts to 7726 (SPAM). This will alert your cellphone carrier to block future texts from those numbers.
IRA Precaution
If a child inherits an IRA from a parent, the child cannot roll the IRA into their own name to preserve the deferral of tax on the income generated within the IRA. The best way to preserve the deferral mechanism is to retitle the IRA as an "inherited IRA." For example, the retitling could go something like this: "John Jones IRA (deceased August 1, 2012) for the benefit of Joan Jones beneficiary." If the money will be divided among heirs, each recipient should retitle his or her share. So the key here is retitling an inherited IRA. Correct titling is critical here. If you get the titling wrong, the heir(s) could be taxed immediately on their whole share.
An Inheritance Nightmare
If you add a child's name to a parent's bank account to allow the child access to funds in case of crisis, you may be creating a financial burden to the parents. The reason for this comment is that in some states, this situation could trigger an inheritance tax payable by the parents if the child dies before the parents do. For example, in the above case, the parents may be considered to have inherited a third of the money in the bank account and have to pay an inheritance tax on this deemed inheritance. This may be the case even if the child had none of her/his own money in the account or never even visited that bank. Currently, 7 states tax inheritances of this type - Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Four states - Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland and New Jersey - appear to currently exempt parents of decedents from this inheritance tax law nightmare. Granting the child a power of attorney instead of adding the child's name to the account could have averted this liability.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Scrap Recycling - Help The Environment & Yourself
Recycling is beneficial to the environment, and in addition can be financially beneficial to you also. Consider taking scrap metal to a scrap dealer who will take the scrap metal off of your hands and keep the scrap metal out of landfills. The scrap dealer will give you money for your scrap regardless of the condition of the metal.
I took an old dead battery to the scrap dealer that could have cost me $10 to recycle, and I received $5.00 for the battery. So I helped the environment by keeping the battery out of landfills, and I came out potentially $15 ahead by getting $5 and not having to pay around $10 to discard of the dead battery.
I took an old dead battery to the scrap dealer that could have cost me $10 to recycle, and I received $5.00 for the battery. So I helped the environment by keeping the battery out of landfills, and I came out potentially $15 ahead by getting $5 and not having to pay around $10 to discard of the dead battery.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
How To Stay Active Forever
Try these 12 easy ways to avoid getting injured during exercise:
- Ease Into Exercise - warm up your muscles to raise their temperature before you stress them.
- Target Your Middle - Build your core strength. Try the plank - a simple exercise that resembles a push up in which your forearms rest on the floor. Hold your core steady for 30 seconds, rest, and repeat.
- Embrace The Squat - Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart and squat, back straight, until your thighs are almost parallel to the ground, rise slowly. Repeat up to 20 times.
- Play Flamingo - Increase your balance by standing on one leg a few times a day. Hold for 20 seconds and then switch legs. Also, try doing the exercise with your eyes closed.
- Coddle The Achilles - Stretch the Achilles by leaning against a wall with one leg extended behind you with your heel on the ground. Hold for 30 seconds, then slightly bend the knee on the extended leg and hold for another 30 seconds and then switch legs.
- Strengthen Your Shoulder - Do this by grasping both ends of an elastic tube and pulling the tube apart. Repeat 5 times.
- Grab Some Golf Balls - Help prevent heel and arch pain that you can get with plantar fasciitis by loosening the arch and tissues in your feet. Roll a golf ball over your arches including doing this while brushing your teeth.
- Stretch Strategically - The latest news about stretching is that it may decrease muscle power and contribute to injuries if done while muscles are cold. Now the conventional wisdom is to stretch at some time during the day, perhaps while watching TV or right before bed.
- Listen To Twinges - If something hurts you, back off from training. If you do not do this, minor muscle tears can turn into major injuries.
- Drink Chocolate Or Regular Milk - Consuming some protein after exercise appears to help muscles rebuild themselves more effectively. When protein is combined with carbohydrates such as sugar in chocolate milk, muscles recover even better. If you are trying to lose weight, plain milk works well too.
- Do The Laundry Lift - Strength training increases muscle mass and also helps to stabilize and protect your joints. You do not have to lift heavy weights. If you cannot get to the gym, lift your laundry basket (including over your head) instead.
- Take A Load Off - Days off are more important as you get older. So skip at least one day every week, or at most go on a gentle walk. If you are still fatigued or achy the next day, take another day off..
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Tire Rotation
There was a time when rotating tires was not necessarily cost effective. However, today's vehicles are very sophisticated, and uneven wheel rotation speeds, which can vary if one wheel's diameter differs from the rest, can affect things such as anti-lock brakes and automatic stability control. So rotating tires on relatively current model cars may be well worth while.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Genius Ideas
Subject: Fw: Genius
ideas
.
|
Friday, August 24, 2012
Excavation Area Flags
Do you ever wonder what those little flags around proposed excavation sites mean? You can tell what is buried below by the color of the flags. Here are the flag colors and what they mean:
- Red - Electric
- Orange - Telephone, communications, TV
- Blue - Potable water
- Green - Sewer/drainage
- Yellow - Gas/oil/petroleum pipeline
- Purple - Reclaimed water
- White - Site of intended excavation (black when snow is present)
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
One Person's Trash
Before you shell out money for a new item, see if there is anybody in your community getting rid of what you need. Please check the following sites for possible free or bargain prices for what you are looking for:
- Freecycle.org
- Craigslist.org
- FreeSharing.org
Computer Cloud Storage For Free
Instead of an external hard drive to back up your files, you could for free do cloud storage of your files. Most free storage sites provide around 5 gigabytes of storage room for free. You can open multiple accounts and cobble together a completely free system. The disadvantage of this idea is that your data is spread out, but you can download a free app from Otixo.com to help manage it all. In any event, you can use just one site and keep your most important files on that one site. Following is a list of sites showing how much free space that you get and what that site is best used for:
- Google Drive (drive.google.com) - 5 GB - For documents
- IDrive (idrive.com) - 5 GB - Documents
- Amazon Cloud Drive (amazon.com/clouddrive) - 5 GB - Music
- Dropbox (dropbox.com) - 2 GB - Photos
- Microsoft SkyDrive (skydrive.live.com) - 7 GB - Microsoft Office Projects that you use from multiple computers because the site syncs automatically
- SugarSync (sugarsync.com) - 5 GB - Documents you are collaborating with others on since you can password protect public files
Monday, August 13, 2012
Credit Card Extended Warranty ProtectionBenefit
When you buy an item, the item usually comes with a warranty. The Extended Warranty Protection, which is an added benefit given to you by your credit card company, extends the free repair time period under the original manufacturer's written U.S. warranty. This extended period of warranty coverage is usually up to one additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less when an item its purchased entirely with your eligible credit card. There are exceptions to this rule for select items. Gifts and purchases made outside of the U.S. should be covered. You must keep copies of your receipts and the original manufacturer's written U.S. warranty and any other applicable warranty in order to file a claim. You need to look at your extended protection plan which is incorporated in your benefits guide that you should have received with your credit card. If you do not have that guide, just call the credit card company and they can direct you to the department that can help you.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Credit Card Insurance For Accident With Rental Car
If you have an accident with a rental car, you can have secondary coverage with your credit card company if you charged your rental car use with a credit card and turned down the optional insurance with the car rental company. Credit cards give you secondary insurance coverage after your primary insurance company covers what it will cover for your accident. So, the credit card company should at least reimburse you for the deductible that you have to pay with your primary insurance company. Different credit card companies have different time limits, coverages, etc. You should check out each of your credit card coverages, and select the best one for your current needs before charging on one of your charge cards.
I personally had an accident in Arkansas, and my VISA credit card reimbursed me for the deductible that my primary coverage charged me, and also reimbursed me for the balance of the damage to the rental car that my primary insurance did not cover. So, the bottom line is that I ended up not paying any net out of pocket cost for this rental car accident.
I personally had an accident in Arkansas, and my VISA credit card reimbursed me for the deductible that my primary coverage charged me, and also reimbursed me for the balance of the damage to the rental car that my primary insurance did not cover. So, the bottom line is that I ended up not paying any net out of pocket cost for this rental car accident.
Fix-A-Flat
People use fix-a-flat to inflate tires that have gone flat or need some additional air, and they do not have a readily accessible means to fix or inflate a tire. It is usually recommended that people not use fix-a-flat any more especially if they have a tire pressure monitor system on their car since the product will ruin the sensor. You may also ruin the tire beyond repair if you use the product. Plus the repair tech taking care of your car will not be too happy to have to clean the tire rim.
However, not all canned air inflation products ruin the tire pressure sensor. If you buy only products that specify that they are safe for tire pressure monitor system cars, that product should be safe to use. Still, even this product is not great and should be used as a last resort, which may be less costly and quicker than road service. The tire ultimately should be repaired or replaced, and not driven as though it was fine. Also, today's products of this type are nonflammable.
However, not all canned air inflation products ruin the tire pressure sensor. If you buy only products that specify that they are safe for tire pressure monitor system cars, that product should be safe to use. Still, even this product is not great and should be used as a last resort, which may be less costly and quicker than road service. The tire ultimately should be repaired or replaced, and not driven as though it was fine. Also, today's products of this type are nonflammable.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Mobile Banking Safety
Malware to hack your mobile does exist with Android phones being the most vulnerable now. Malware for Apple's iOS apparently does not exist as of now. However, malware problems are expected to worsen in coming years. The most realistic threat is that your phone will be lost or stolen, and end up in the wrong hands. There are steps that you can do to reduce the risk of mobile banking fraud as follows:
- Password protect your device.
- Tend to bank by apps which are usually more secure than web or text messaging, but download only from the official app store and verify that the developer's name matches the name of your bank.
- Do not save your user name and do not use the same password as on other apps in case they store it.
- If your phone is lost or stolen, try to wipe all personal data from it, if possible (some devices can be remotely reset to factory settings.
- Contact your financial institution since 61% of them now let you deactivate their app from afar.
- In case money is stolen from your account as a result of mobile fraud, you should be liable only for $50 under current law, provided you contact your bank within two days of discovering the loss of your money. Most banks will waive even that $50 liability.
- To limit the amount that you could be out let your bank know ASAP if you discover a rogue transaction on your account or statement or if your phone is lost or stolen.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Excellent General Contractor
If anybody needs an excellent general contractor in the Chicago area, here is one to consider:
Tony Durand
Design Management Services LLC
32895 N. Meadow Road
Grayslake, IL 60030
Cell - 773-744-5825
FAX - 847-543-7927
Email - tony@dmsremodels.com
Web Site - www.dmsremodels.com
Tony Durand
Design Management Services LLC
32895 N. Meadow Road
Grayslake, IL 60030
Cell - 773-744-5825
FAX - 847-543-7927
Email - tony@dmsremodels.com
Web Site - www.dmsremodels.com
Central Furnace or Air Conditioning
If your central furnace or air conditioning will not turn on for some reason, please try the following before calling a repair person. Go to the unit that will not start and turn off the electrical switch that controls the electricity controlling the unit and then wait a minute or two and turn the unit back on with the switch. By doing this, it acts as a restart just as if your computer is not working correctly and you turn it off and back on again. I tried this procedure with our air conditioning unit just yesterday, and the unit kicked on and has been fine ever since.
Caulk Preservation
Caulk in a tube has a tendency to dry up if not properly protected. Try wrapping the open nozzle of the caulk tube tightly with duct tape. The tape creates a good air tight seal preventing air from getting into the tube and drying out its contents. After putting the duct tape on and around the nozzle of the caulk tube, put the caulk tube itself in a plastic bag and tie off the opening with a tie band or something to close up the plastic bag. I have tried other methods, but find that this method gives the best results so far.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Vitamins & Minerals Limits
Nutrient Recommended Daily Intake SAFE
UPPER
LIMIT
MEN WOMEN
Vitamin A 3,000 IU 2,300 IU 10,000 IU
Niacin (B3) 16 mg 14 mg 35 mg
Folate (folic acid) 400 mcg 400 mcg 1,000 mcg
Vitamin C 90 mg 75 mg 2,000 mg
Vitamin D 600 IU ages 19- 600 IU ages 19-70; 4,000 IU
70; 800 IU ages 800 IU ages 71
71 and up and up
Vitamin E 22 IU (natural) 22 IU (natural) 1,500 IU (natural)
33 IU (synthetic) 33 IU (synthetic) 1,100 IU (synthetic)
Vitamin K 120 mcg 90 mcg Not Established
MINERALS
Calcium 1,000 mg ages 1,000 mg ages 2,500 mg through age
16-70; 1200 mg 19-50; 1,200 mg 50; 2,000 mg ages
ages 71 and up ages 51 and up 51 and up
Magnesium 400 mg ages 19- 310 mg ages 350 mg
30; 420 mg ages 19-30; 320 mg (from supplements only)
31 and up ages 31 and up
Potassium 4,700 mg 4,700 mg Not Established
Selenium 55 mcg 55 mcg 400 mcg
Zinc 11 mg 8 mg 40 mg
SOURCE: CONSUMER REPORTS SEPTEMBER 2012
UPPER
LIMIT
MEN WOMEN
Vitamin A 3,000 IU 2,300 IU 10,000 IU
Niacin (B3) 16 mg 14 mg 35 mg
Folate (folic acid) 400 mcg 400 mcg 1,000 mcg
Vitamin C 90 mg 75 mg 2,000 mg
Vitamin D 600 IU ages 19- 600 IU ages 19-70; 4,000 IU
70; 800 IU ages 800 IU ages 71
71 and up and up
Vitamin E 22 IU (natural) 22 IU (natural) 1,500 IU (natural)
33 IU (synthetic) 33 IU (synthetic) 1,100 IU (synthetic)
Vitamin K 120 mcg 90 mcg Not Established
MINERALS
Calcium 1,000 mg ages 1,000 mg ages 2,500 mg through age
16-70; 1200 mg 19-50; 1,200 mg 50; 2,000 mg ages
ages 71 and up ages 51 and up 51 and up
Magnesium 400 mg ages 19- 310 mg ages 350 mg
30; 420 mg ages 19-30; 320 mg (from supplements only)
31 and up ages 31 and up
Potassium 4,700 mg 4,700 mg Not Established
Selenium 55 mcg 55 mcg 400 mcg
Zinc 11 mg 8 mg 40 mg
SOURCE: CONSUMER REPORTS SEPTEMBER 2012
Medicare Card
A better alternative to always carrying your Medicare card in your wallet or when traveling is to make a photocopy of your Medicare card, and then cut or black out the last four digits of your Social Security number. The photocopy shows that you are a Medicare patient but protects you from identity theft should your wallet be lost or stolen. Even without the card you should be able to get emergency medical treatment. You can carry the original on days when you visit a doctor if that gives you any extra added comfort. You can orally give the medical care provider the last four digits of your Social Security number when you are being provided services. I and my wife have personally used this method for many years without any problems. This is a very good deterrent to identity theft of your Social Security number.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Free Walking Tours
To find free walking tours in various cities, please type "free walking tours" and your destination city name in the search field.
Cruise Quotes/Competing Bids
If you are looking to go on a cruise, you might want to check out www.cruisecompete.com . You find a cruise, request a quote, and you then receive competing offers for your cruise business.
Smart 911
You can use a relatively new site entitled www.smart911.com where you can list information like medicines and allergies which is automatically sent to police and medics when a 911 call is placed. This service is not available everywhere yet.
Discourage Ants
Spray undiluted white vinegar around doorways and window sills to discourage ants from entering.
Treasury Bond Value Check
Find out what your old U.S. savings bonds are worth at www.treasurydirect.gov/BC/SBCPrice. Just enter the series, denomination, serial number, issue date, and you will get the value of the bond.
Car Repair Quote Estimator
www.Repairpal.com gives free quotes for car repairs based on surveys of thousands of shops. In addition, it will give you auto repair places in your zip code. See web site for other information.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Free Directory Assistance - People and Businesses
If you want to find a telephone number via a toll free number with no cost to call, all you need to do is call the following:
For People - 1-800-FREE - 411
For Businesses - 1-800-500-0000
These numbers eliminate annoying charges to get a telephone number. The charges to get a telephone number via the regular 411 route are somewhat pricey.
For People - 1-800-FREE - 411
For Businesses - 1-800-500-0000
These numbers eliminate annoying charges to get a telephone number. The charges to get a telephone number via the regular 411 route are somewhat pricey.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Slow Drains
If you have a slow sink, tub, etc. drain, consider using a product called Thrift. It is a little pricey, but I have had good results with this product. This product can be obtained at Advantage Plumbing in the Chicago area. You could possibly find this product on the Internet. If you use Thrift, I suggest that you use gloves and protective glasses when using the product. Also, do not stand over the drain while letting the hot water run over the product. Your sinuses will be very cleared out if you do this. Just be careful using this product, and you should have no problems. The product in in a crystal type form. I would suggest following the instructions on the package. I would then not use the sink or tub until the following morning at which time I would then run hot water in the drain for a while. This seems to clear out the results of the application for what it does over night while the product is still in the pipes and doing some residual work.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Wine Stain Removal
Wine Stain Removal From Clothing with Peroxide and Soap
A simple household remedy to remove even the ugliest of red wine stains combines the stain lifting powers of hydrogen peroxide and soap. First, combine equal parts liquid detergent or soap (Dawn Soap is a good choice) and hydrogen peroxide in a bowl. Sponge or pour the mixture over the red wine stain and let stand for a minute to pre-soak. Please note: if you have stained only one side of a garment, place a towel between the stained layer and clean layer so the stain does not penetrate through to the other side of the fabric. If possible, test one small area first to ensure the solution does not discolor the fabric.Next, gently blot the stained area. The hydrogen peroxide and soap formula help remove discoloration. Continue to blot until the stain can no longer be seen. The garment can then be put in the laundry machine as usual. Cool water is usually best. Be sure to check care labels for special instructions.
A friend used the aforementioned procedure, and her blouse was completely clean using this procedure even not being able to utilize this procedure for about 2 hours after the wine stain happened.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Do Not Throw Away Your Old TV's Yet
If you have Comcast for your TV (this idea may apply to other cable providers also), you no longer supposedly can get TV reception via your cable connection unless you have an adapter box attached between the cable and TV set. The adapter is provided by Comcast for a monthly fee after getting 2 adapter boxes for free.
If you reprogram your TV via auto programming feature on most TV sets, you might be able to restore TV reception to your TVs without an adapter box. I did the auto programming process on 2 TVs and restored TV reception to those 2 TVs which happen to be rather new TVs. I am able to get at least 60 plus TV channels on each of those 2 TVs. I have an older TV and tried the auto programming feature, and even though I was able to access the auto programming feature, the procedure did not work for that TV apparently due to its age. I cannot tell you how to access the auto programming feature since the access procedure to this feature is different on different TVs. After doing the auto programming procedure try to access a TV station by punching in the channel directly on your remote, and if that does not work use the channel up/channel down on your remote. On one of my TVs, I could not access a channel by punching in the channel directly on to the remote. However, when I did the channel up/channel down on the remote I was able to access channels on that TV.
If that does not work, you can buy a converter box and an antenna from Best Buy or other electronic stores for a total price of $70+. This supposed to give you TV reception, but not to all of the available channels. This does not seem to be an economical option.
If you really want to access TV reception on that old TV, you can take the adapter box off of one of your TV sets and hook it up to the TV in question. The adapter box is what gives you access to the TV channels and not the TV set itself. The adapter boxes apparently can be moved to whatever TV you want to get reception.
The adapter boxes are proprietary to Comcast, and apparently cannot be replicated, and that is why there seems to be nothing in the market place to buy to make the old TVs work other than the adapters. However, the auto programming procedure mentioned above could be of some help on TVs that are not too old.
So, before throwing away your old TVs due to lack of reception, do try this auto programming feature and see if your TV reception is restored.
If you reprogram your TV via auto programming feature on most TV sets, you might be able to restore TV reception to your TVs without an adapter box. I did the auto programming process on 2 TVs and restored TV reception to those 2 TVs which happen to be rather new TVs. I am able to get at least 60 plus TV channels on each of those 2 TVs. I have an older TV and tried the auto programming feature, and even though I was able to access the auto programming feature, the procedure did not work for that TV apparently due to its age. I cannot tell you how to access the auto programming feature since the access procedure to this feature is different on different TVs. After doing the auto programming procedure try to access a TV station by punching in the channel directly on your remote, and if that does not work use the channel up/channel down on your remote. On one of my TVs, I could not access a channel by punching in the channel directly on to the remote. However, when I did the channel up/channel down on the remote I was able to access channels on that TV.
If that does not work, you can buy a converter box and an antenna from Best Buy or other electronic stores for a total price of $70+. This supposed to give you TV reception, but not to all of the available channels. This does not seem to be an economical option.
If you really want to access TV reception on that old TV, you can take the adapter box off of one of your TV sets and hook it up to the TV in question. The adapter box is what gives you access to the TV channels and not the TV set itself. The adapter boxes apparently can be moved to whatever TV you want to get reception.
The adapter boxes are proprietary to Comcast, and apparently cannot be replicated, and that is why there seems to be nothing in the market place to buy to make the old TVs work other than the adapters. However, the auto programming procedure mentioned above could be of some help on TVs that are not too old.
So, before throwing away your old TVs due to lack of reception, do try this auto programming feature and see if your TV reception is restored.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
SUMP PUMPS
If anybody has a sump pump with no moving parts (like the Rigid brand that you can get from Home Depot) and the pump shuts off and then goes back on almost immediately and continues that cycle for quite some time, there is a fix for that. You just need to take vinegar and clean the glass prism (it is installed vertically along the side of the sump pump), and after cleaning the prism with vinegar wash the vinegar off with clear water. If the prism is hard to get to, get yourself a fairly long stick and attach a dish sponge dish scrubber to the stick and get vinegar on the sponge head either by putting the vinegar on the head or by putting vinegar in the reservoir (if there is one) and make sure that the vinegar gets to the sponge head. I attached a toothbrush to another stick, and I wash/scrub the vinegar off with water in the sump pump pit. The problem is that the prism gets dirty over time and thinks that it should start to run due to the dirt on the surface of the prism. Once the prism is clean, it no longer gets this false signal, and the continuous running stops. I just had this issue yesterday, and did the above steps, and the pump works just fine now with no more starting and stopping. You might have to do this about every 6 months to keep the prism clean and stop this continuous on and off running.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Alternative Uses for Materials
I was tickled wit my new blog. In an effort to keep up your confidence in me finding neat stuff and upholding my reputation, here is some more to add to our blog.
I found an article that discusses alternative or added uses for certain materials. I will not give you all of them. but I have gone through the list and I am reporting what I think are the best of these ideas, and they are as follows:
- DRYER SHEETS - Use as wipes for kitchen and bath since some of the chemicals in them are the same as used in various kitchen and bath cleaners - use them instead of mothballs in closets or in boxes of clothes - use them between books on shelves to keep them from becoming musty.
- WEEDS - Use vinegar or boiling hot water instead of pricey liquid weed killers to kill weeds. Pickle juice can also be used for weed control.
- PEELS - Use lemon, lime, and orange rinds to shine copper and brass.
- FOIL - wad up tin foil into a ball for cleaning the outdoor grill and stuck on food from pots and pans.
- MESH BAGS - Plastic mesh bags (the kind that oranges and onions come in) make good pot scrubbers.
- DRYER LINT - Use the dryer lint as a fireplace starter.
- SODA CAN TAB - Use them as a picture-hanging hook.
- PLASTIC NEWSPAPER SLEEVES - Use them as disposable work gloves or dog poop bags.
For more ideas, you can go to www.realsimple.com, www.thedollarstretcher.com, and www.frugalliving.about.com.
Battery Saving Idea
A friend of mine liked this tip. If you have a battery in a device that drains the battery when you are not using it (like a clock on a portable radio) and you do not care about what the battery is powering, just reverse the polarity of the battery in the device. When you need to power the device again, you just reverse the polarity. This idea does not drain the battery when it is in the device, and you have the battery readily available when you need it.
|
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Migraine Medications
Consumer Reports had an article about migraines and listed prescription options to prevent them including:
Propranolol/Inderal
Timolol/Biocadren
Topiramate/Topamax
Valproate/Depakote
Butterbur - a herb and not a prescription drug
Thought that you might be interested in hearing the latest about migraine prevention..
Have a nice rest of your weekend.
Love,
Dad
Propranolol/Inderal
Timolol/Biocadren
Topiramate/Topamax
Valproate/Depakote
Butterbur - a herb and not a prescription drug
Thought that you might be interested in hearing the latest about migraine prevention..
Have a nice rest of your weekend.
Love,
Dad
Keeping Produce Fresh Longer
Mom weighs in!
Recently heard about this from a friend and just found several sites on google which confirm it. Thought you would be interested in this as a way to keep produce fresh longer.
Hope you are having a lovely week-end.
Love,
Mom
http://www.foodlushblog.com/2011/07/the-key-to-preventing-moldy-berries-vinegar.html
Recently heard about this from a friend and just found several sites on google which confirm it. Thought you would be interested in this as a way to keep produce fresh longer.
Hope you are having a lovely week-end.
Love,
Mom
http://www.foodlushblog.com/2011/07/the-key-to-preventing-moldy-berries-vinegar.html
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Yellow Dot Program
I do not remember whether or not I told you about this program. If I have already told you about the program, please excuse the repetition. We just got our packets and have filled them out, and will mount the yellow dot on our back windshield and put the narrative in our glove compartment today.
The program sounds like a good idea. See links below for how it works. The program is free, and could save a life.
SS, you could put the yellow dot on the back of your motorcycle helmet. You can get as many packets as you want. We are putting a copy of mother's and my information in each car since constant passengers in a car should have information about them available also. There are at least 23 states participating in this program.
I picked up our packets at our village hall. The police departments may also have them.
If you have any questions about the program that I can answer, please do let me know.
|
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Mosquitoes
Hi:
Just thought that you might be interested in knowing about a new app that is coming out in May. The app will be available on the mobile site of cutterguide.com. Ir is called Enjoy What Is Out There. It is designed to let users know about local family-friendly summer activities. The app also has a mosquito alert indicator that will tell you the level of mosquito activity - low, medium, or high - based on location, weather, time of day, and time of year. The app also matches outdoor activities with the appropriate insect repellent.
The war against mosquitoes is on.
Love,
Dad
Just thought that you might be interested in knowing about a new app that is coming out in May. The app will be available on the mobile site of cutterguide.com. Ir is called Enjoy What Is Out There. It is designed to let users know about local family-friendly summer activities. The app also has a mosquito alert indicator that will tell you the level of mosquito activity - low, medium, or high - based on location, weather, time of day, and time of year. The app also matches outdoor activities with the appropriate insect repellent.
The war against mosquitoes is on.
Love,
Dad
Sunday, April 1, 2012
time banks
I thought that you might be interested in this concept of exchanging your hours of time spent for somebody doing something for you for the equivalent time that you have expended. So, for each hour of service that you give, you get an hour of service in return. See link below for more information.
Love,
Dad
Dad
Blog introduction
I have been threatening to do this for years. Often, my father sends my brother and me little tidbits of information that he reads. He reads a lot. He's actually a fount of knowledge. Instead of landing in our e-mail boxes and going nowhere, I thought it would be fun to track what he sends and put it online. He really is our very own Consumer Reports. The information is usually very accurate and useful, although it's not always useful to me in the moment. It's a really great way that he shows that he cares.
So many of his friends call him before they do anything whether it's producing a car, refrigerator or making an investment. I'm hoping his wisdom can help many of you.
Mortgage Interest Rates
I have found out that if you take out a new mortgage now, your mortgage rate will increase by about .10% from any basic mortgage interest rate quote starting today. It ends up that for every $100,000 that you borrow, your monthly payment will go up by $10. So there is a new cost in town to deal with if you were to take out a new mortgage. So, it pays to stick with your current mortgage in light of this development and the fact that mortgage interest rates seem to be increasing. See link below for more detailed information.
Love,
Dad |
Organizational Websites
Hi:
Today's paper had a couple of interesting web sites as follows:
- DOXO - Apple iPhone only - Takes a picture of your bill or statement, then stash it in the appropriate file (credit cards, utilities, etc.). It will keep track of due dates and payments. You can also receive e-bills from certain vendors and soon you will be able to pay them directly (FREE)
- MANILLA - Android and Apple - You can manage all of your on line accounts - bank, cell phone, frequent flier, magazine subscriptions and then pay bills with a few taps of your finger (FREE)
- SMARTYPIG - Android and Apple - Smarty Pig will squirrel away a specified amount from your bank account each month until you reach your goal (FREE)
Thought that you might have some interest in some or all of them.
Love,
Dad
Dad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)