From the odds and ends of the BlogHer 2011 exhibitors hall comes this bag of necessities. Good for temp workers, state employees, cubicle dwellers and anyone who needs to know that the boss is sneaking up on him.
Month: September 2011
Don’t talk to insurance adjusters. Do get free money from banks.
I’ve got new articles up at both my day jobs, in which I counsel how to get bonus bucks from banks and how to protect yourself in the aftermath of a car accident.
Hey, Chicago: Wanna have breakfast?
I’m presenting a talk at the Financial Blogger Conference this coming weekend in Schaumburg, just outside Chicago. My plane lands early Friday morning. Can anyone recommend a good breakfast place? And does anyone want to join us?
How to cut your phone and Internet bills. (Hint: Go on vacation.)
My phone provider, Qwest, is now called Century Link. Today a customer service rep phoned to see if I am getting the best deal possible. Turns out I am, but the lovely and talented Jason suggested a new frugal hack.
I mentioned that one of my upcoming trips might last as long as seven weeks. He said, “Then you’ll be turning off your phone, right?”
I didn’t know you could do that. Some frugalist I am.
Giveaway: A “pamper yourself” kit.
The first BlogHer 2011 giveaway is a whole bunch of items designed to make you feel good about yourself, both figuratively and literally.
Ain’t no tomato like a Jersey tomato.
Yesterday I bought a couple of tomatoes. I shouldn’t have: They were mushy and nearly flavorless. It was like eating catsup-tinged oatmeal.
Or maybe I’m just comparing them against the love apples I ate for a couple of weeks while visiting my dad, which would be unfair. Ain’t no tomato like a Jersey tomato.
Most people perceive New Jersey as merely a bedroom community for Noo Yawk, a state defined by traffic-jammed highways, obnoxious accents and, thanks to the creators of “The Sopranos” and “Jersey Shore,” organized crime and tippling imbeciles.
Fact is, New Jersey’s motto is “The Garden State.” We South Jerseyites considered North Jersey “The Garbage State.”
A funny T-shirt, for free.
I know, I know: You already have too many T-shirts. But do you have one that says, “The Constitution — I read it for the articles“?
Or how about, “250th Annual Zombie Run For The Cure,” which shows silhouettes of runners being chased by the walking dead?
Now you can — and free of charge, if the random number generator likes you best.
In praise of the bandana.
Farm chore of the week: spreading fertilizer around 1,600 young Christmas trees. Dad and I did some today and some yesterday. More await us on Friday. Yay.
The late-summer sun felt plenty warm to me, and the humidity had it beat by a couple of percentage points. My bandana got quite a workout; not only did I wipe my face fairly often, I used the blue hanky to mark my spot in a row. When I walked back from the fertilizer cart, I always knew which was the last tree I’d surrounded with 14-7-14 granules.
That bandana cost me a buck several years ago, and has been in my backpack ever since. Who carries a pocket handkerchief any more? I do, and you should, too. It’s incredibly useful for a number of tasks.
An update on payday lending.
Remember my previous post about money-lending? Here’s an update — and it isn’t pretty.
Blog roundup: 9/11 edition.
I have never written about Sept. 11. I still don’t know what to say except that I cannot forgive myself for my initial reaction: