Author: Bill

Frugal Librarian #4: Refurbs

- Bill 1 Comment

frugallibrarianA lot of people buy new computers at the moment of need. See, that’s what “the man” wants you to do…purchase from an uninformed and vulnerable position. You’ll deal with their markup because you’re brokedown.

It’s not enough to visit more than one brick and mortar store or check out two major chains’ weekly specials. Look into refurbs and save a ridiculous amount of money.

Refurbs are returned goods that have supposedly been restored to good-as-new condition. According to technology consulting firm Accenture, more than 2/3rds of electronics returned to retailers meet manufacturer’s specifications, but simply not the consumer’s expectations. Just because someone else gave up after turning the item on or didn’t like a scuff mark on front, why be picky in the face of huge savings?

Refurbs come in all varieties of electronics, even the highly-touted IPod, and even have refund and return guarantees. Stick with a well-known company, however.

Target – pre-owned electronics
Geeks.com – computers (I got a great computer this fall for $229, shipping included)
Dell Factory outlet
Sony retail outlet
Amazon Warehouse Deals

Frugal Librarian #3: Shopsmart Magazine

- Bill Leave a comment

frugallibrarianThis brand new bi-monthly publication from the makers of Consumer Reports magazine has the slogan “no hype, no ads, just great buys.” It looks like the result of a crossbreeding between Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping, and Hints from Heloise.

For example, there are a lot of luxury items out there where name and branding is everything, since the average John Q. Spender knows nothing about the product and there is ridiculous markup.

shopsmart

When it came to wine, Consumer Reports put their best experts in the lab and tore off the labels. The results is one of the test’s white wine winners costing $5…the Frontrera 2007 from Chile.

Some products also claimed to be bargains or money savers and were junk. Enjoy a list of products to avoid.

Here’s a no-brainer on how to get it…check the latest issue out for free from the Davenport Public Library!

chili(ly) season

- Bill 1 Comment

Puns aside, could you the good reader provide me with a definitive answer as to when chili season begins? I once thought it coincided with flannel and football. I’ve heard it is once temperatures drop below freezing at night.

cheeleeRegardless, we’re clearly mired in the best time of year for the crock pot/stock pot dish. A new book just came out on the subject.

It has infinite possibilities outside the loosely-structured base ingredients. Ever had mushroom chili…white chili? Ever made a pot on Sunday and coasted through the week on the stuff?

While you’re pondering your ingredient list for your next batch, stew (wocka wocka) on these fun chili facts:

1) competition chili does not permit the addition of beans

2) Cedar Rapids, IA has a chili festival every year with hundreds of entries. I’d like a commitment to that as my “Davenport Promise”

Nachos

- Bill 1 Comment

taxesNow that I have your attention, it’s tax season. Hey, don’t kill the messenger.

Davenport Public Library tries to accommodate taxpayers that are e-file friendly, as well as those that need paper forms. For the record, the feds would greatly prefer that you do so electronically. 58% did so last year, resulting in faster filings and quicker returns… according to the IRS.

On the paper side, the Davenport Public library buildings are one of the few places which still distribute tax forms and publications you can use to prepare your return. The post office stopped this service in 2006. Though not a federal agency like the post office, we got a pallet of 50 cases last week. If the form you need is not one of the standard issue we stock in our displays at Main and Fairmount, one of the crack reference staff can help you locate it on the IRS’s labyrinthine site.

Most employers will be giving you your W2’s this month, if they haven’t already. Put it on the corner of your desk, but unlike last year, don’t wait until April 15th.

The Frugal Librarian #2: Mortgage refinancing

- Bill 2 Comments

frugallibrarianIf I could time the market, I’d probably be a millionaire and not working here. Or, living out of a cardboard box because I got cocky. Depends on how you look at it.

But this much I’ve read is certain…refinancing your mortgage can save you a whole bunch of money. The adage is that if a mortgage rate is 1% lower than your current rate, it is advantageous to pay the closing costs (around $1500) to have them rework your loan with the new rate.

With the economy, mortgages are at 37-year-lows. You are going to be hard-pressed to find a more competitive rate at another time. Plus, since the fed cut the short term lending rate yet again, this should move over into the mortgage market in the coming weeks, making things even more interesting.

Only a fool would feel pressured to make such a snap decision, but in the coming weeks this could be a bird in hand for your wallet. It only takes a minute to compute your scenario online. You may very well find that a cut from 6.375% to 4.5% is like someone handing you a couple hundred bucks each month. Yes please.

Here are the rates from some local lenders:

Ascentra Credit Union
IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union
Wells Fargo Bank

The Frugal Librarian #1: Energy Audit

- Bill 3 Comments

Welcome to our first installment of the Frugal Librarian. It is an empirically proven fact that denizens of this profession possess an uncanny sense of value. In turn, they pass that savings on to you, the consumer.

However, while some folks pinch pennies, this guy has actually been known to cut off the circulation to their extremities. This is his story.

frugallibrarianSomeone was saying something the other day about reducing one’s carbon footprint. I went to my happy place spiritually where I pretend I’m paying attention. When I came out of this trance, they were gone, as was their message about conservation. Shame.

While I am a responsible consumer, I am even more motivated by the massive amount of financial green (huh, see witty the play on words??) I can save with the MidAmerican Energy Audit. Here’s what happened. I called MidAmerican and they made an appointment to dispatch a representative to my house. At no cost, this man went from room to room taking measurements. Next words out of his mouth were, “Want some light bulbs?” “Yes sir. Yes sir, I do.” “How about a new shower head?” “Sounds nifty to me.” Make all the jokes you want about how thick one has to be to not be able to screw in a light bulb. Sometimes they don’t UN-screw safely. Does that punitively affect one’s cognitive credit score?

He also calculated that if I spend roughly another 900 dollars to put more blow-in insulation in my attic, MidAmerican will cut me a check for $600. The savings on the heat bill would pay for my portion of that within one year, he calculated, citing that 85% of a building’s heat loss comes from the top.

In under 40 minutes, with a twitch of his nose, off this jolly magic man went into the chill night. “On reasonably-priced economy sedan!” he bellowed. “Merry savings to all, and to all a warm night!”

Oracle of Omaha

- Bill 1 Comment

If anyone could time the market, we’d all be millionaires, right? Well we’re not, but one fairly accurate economic indicator are the words out of the mouth of Warren Buffett. He clearly knows what he’s doing.

So if you suppose you too can buy low and sell high, you don’t need to hand your wallet over to a broker in return for $20 commissions. If you’re interested in cutting your teeth, there are places where you can create small accounts with trade commissions of a few dollars. A great book to learn more is Investing Online for Dummies.

Or, an even lower up-front expense is creating a virtual account at Icarra, Zack’s Simulator, Bullpoo, Marketocracy, Hedgestop, or Investopedia to see how sharp you are with play money first. Then if there is another recession (let’s hope not) you’ll be ready.

Piled higher and deeper

- Bill Leave a comment

At one time the current quandry wasn’t the transition to hi-def TV, or television at all for that matter. What’s “stereo” mean, sonny?

On the Illinois side of the river was a signal at 1230 AM, the entire run from 1946-1983 is detailed in WQUA: Moline’s hometown station. It’s a delight to read about a simpler sonic time, when the day (choppy as it may have been formatically) was filled with personalities and public service blasting out of downtown Moline with a mere 500 watts of monophonic glory. Draw your own comparisons to todays offerings.

Toward the end you’ll recognize a few names of today’s local senior statesmen of radio and television.

Marvel at this 1950’s stunt from Ed Grennan’s Problems and Solutions program…

“One time a man from the sewer department called and said he had a large quantity of human waste that had been processed into fertilizer. Evidently it was good for gardens. The city was giving it away for free, but the people had to bring their own buckets and shovels. I’m not kidding you…I had 500 people out there shoveling ****.”

2 1/2 Weeks to a New President

- Bill 2 Comments

…but you don’t have to wait until then to get the job done.

The Fairmount Street library is a satellite voting location for the upcoming general election. This means that from today through November 1st you can walk in and cast your ballot early. You can avoid the November 4th hustle, and while you’re at it, enjoy the library for a bit. For a list of Scott county satellite voting times and locations, click here:

The Scott County Auditor’s office website has a sample ballot, a search engine to determine your polling place, and a section where they will tally the results.

You have 5 more days (Deadline Oct 25th) to register if you haven’t already.

Like shopping the day after Thanksgiving, some folks really get a kick out of being in the thick of things and pulling the curtain on the big day. And then there are some of us that would rather sleep. What do you think?

Worth the wait?

- Bill 2 Comments

Perhaps the Chinese Democracy album by Guns and Roses is named as such because it will be a cold day in hell before it or the real thing happens. If it were a person, it would almost be getting it’s driver license by now. Most of us were IN high school when they started working on it.

Two things you can be certain of after reading a bit of the new tell-all Watch you Bleed: The Saga of Guns n’ Roses :

1) Lead singer Axl Rose (real name William Bailey) has a violent temper and inflated sense of self-importance. Peruse the list of original band members and countless replacements that now refuse to sit in the same room as him for proof.

2) Their breakout recording “Appetite for Destruction” is consistently in the top 40 rock albums of all time, and has been certified as platinum over 18 times with worldwide sales over 28 million. The band’s lifestyle during this era was one ridden with Sodom and Gomorrah levels of excess as they climbed from the level of homeless drug dealers and grifters to multimillionaire addicts. The most shocking revelation is how none of them are corpses.

If you like Nicholas Sparks, this is NOT the book for you. However, it was penned by Stephen Davis, the same author as the definitive Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods.

The latest scoop is Chinese Democracy will be out around Thanksgiving. Of course, we’ve heard these whisperings before, only to be interrupted by another lunatic fit from the namesake’s rebel who is now in his late 40’s.

Although, the Cubs have a good shot at the World Series this year, so who knows?