Tired of the bad news, and what to do about it

Lately, Jill & I have been watching the 10pm news (I like Ron Magers & Kathy Brock on ABC-7) before bedtime.

Last night, I just couldn’t do it … too much doom, too much bad news, too much overload.

Instead, I flipped on Comedy Central to see Jon Stewart.

Curing the economy blues with a double-shot of funny - The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Am I the only one thinking this way?  I’m curious about your escapes.

Let’s talk about it!

Being more simple makes you smarter

I found a great article about ways to save money.  That’s a resounding theme in our house … why pay more than you have to?  Learn about the 10 things you overpay for here.

Another useful site that I found this morning:  www.billshrink.com

Have you made any lifestyle changes recently, to spend your money smarter?

Let’s chat about it, today after 3pm.

Your favorite new techno toy

I’m always searching for things to make our lives easier.

In early January, I mentioned a “mystery” new product that Jill & I were checking out.  The trial period is now over, and we LOVE it.  As a result, we’ve just dropped our home local & long distance service from the big guys.

For only $20 a year, you get a local phone number, and all local & LD calling.  Caller ID, forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, you name it.  All the features you’re used to.  Plus, international calling to Aunt Liz & Uncle Willie in Scotland is only 2 cents a minute.

It is www.magicJack.com … all you need is an internet connection.

Instead of $30-40 a month, we’ll pay $20 a year.  That’s a CHUNK of change saved, and the difference goes right into Roy’s college fund.

I’m curious about your favorite new techno gadget of the last month, even the last year.  Is it saving you money too?

Let’s chat about it today, after 3pm.

You can’t afford to be unaware anymore

I read an article about recent credit & finance tightening over the weekend.  Even folks who thought they had great credit were finding their accounts frozen by anxious banks.

I followed the author’s suggestion and went online to download my free credit reports, plus our free credit score.

It’s amazing how much is at our fingertips this days.  A few keystrokes, and you can do just about anything.

Here are a few sites I think are a must-read, regarding the above:

• www.annualcreditreport.com, the government-run free credit report site.  You get 1 free report, from each of the 3 agencies, once a year.
• www.creditkarma.com, get your free credit score.  Truly free.

Any idea how many websites you visit each day?  Your favorites?  Something new you just found?   Share with me.

Make it a great day, and thanks for playing!

I’m the redneck of our block

Did you miss Brad Paisley on the show yesterday?  He gave me the OK to be the redneck of my block, in addition to bragging about his mad high school winter sporting skills.  Click the Podcast page above, and you can listen to the entire conversation.

Something I’ve been thinking of for months – what can we do different to save money in today’s economy.  How are you trimming costs?  Jill & I are trying something new for our home phone, and it could save us up to $300 a year.

It arrived on Wednesday, and we love it so far.  If we’re still digging it in 2 weeks, I’ll tell you what it is, and we’ll officially drop our local & long distance home phone costs.

What’s the best way to save cash in today’s world?  Let’s talk about it, today after 3pm.