Tag Archives: cable

Tax Refunds

Are you getting a large tax refund this year? Before you scream… yippee… you may want to ask yourself if this is a good thing. While no one wants to owe money at tax time, getting a hefty return is also not such a good idea either. Don’t use the IRS as a savings account… they don’t pay you interest! You should ideally shoot for a small tax return, something in the neighborhood of one to two hundred dollars… no more. This will ensure you don’t owe any at tax time, but you also won’t throw your money away throughout … Continue reading →

Tax Time Cleanup

There is almost no better time to clean up your financial files than at tax time. You are already pulling tons of information together for yourself or your accountant. Before you file it all back… take a few minutes to look at what you got. Saving is better than throwing away when it comes to bills, receipts and statements. Until you have accumulated so many that, you no longer can find what you need. Then it is time to stop and re-evaluate. Your tax forms are the most critical documents to keep track of. The IRS recommends you keep the … Continue reading →

Saving Money on Television

Although unheard of a decade ago, it is not hard to spend thousands of dollars on a television set and hundreds of dollars a month on television programming. Watching television has gone from being luxury entertainment to being a luxury necessity. The average new television costs about $1500, and you can get television units that cost much more than that. Here are some ways to be frugal about your television viewing and have hundreds or even thousands of dollars left over at the end of the year. Forgo the HD everything and get a basic television set. Did you know … Continue reading →

Organizing Household Donations for Taxes

This morning, while the kids were occupying themselves, I thought I would conquer a little bit of the spare bedroom upstairs. This is a room that needs a lot of work. Eventually, it will be turned into a bedroom for our youngest son, but right now, its proximity to the attic stairs, as well as its need of repair, has turned it into a sorting or holding room. As we fix up other areas of the house, we will put furniture or other items from the project room into that bedroom. It will probably be the last room we clean, … Continue reading →

Tax Cut

Ever since I first began doing my own taxes, more than 20 years ago, I have been doing them the old-fashioned way – by hand. Yes, I am a dinosaur in this day and age. However, that has all changed today. After making my whole family miserable for the month it took me to do the taxes last year, my husband told me it was time for a change. I finally had to agree that the aggravation factor alone was enough to consider a different option. Therefore, I began to ask around. My neighbor offered the best piece of advice. … Continue reading →

Pump up the Savings

One of the clear ways to save money is to use less. We all know that, right? It might surprise you to know that there are certain common things that people usually use too much of, or at least more than they need to use. That extra doesn’t add any benefit, but it does use up our resources sooner, forcing us to buy more and spend money. We are so blessed in our lives. We have the ability to go out and get practically anything we need, from food to health and beauty supplies. What would our ancestors from other … Continue reading →

Explaining the Upcoming Digital TV Conversion

Worried that your television won’t work? Do you need to buy expensive new digital equipment? Let’s weed through the confusion to explain exactly what the conversion is, how you will be affected and what you need. First of all, let’s talk about what the digital conversion is. Starting on February 18th, 2009, all full-power television broadcasters in the United States will turn off their old analog signals and broadcast in digital format only. This will potentially leave millions of television sets across the country cut off from programming. Turn on the television and get nothing but snow. How will this … Continue reading →

Signs Your Husband’s Having an Affair…

…with a DVR. Before I list the symptoms, let me explain how I got us into this mess. Because it was me who agreed to bring this third party into our marriage. Oh yes, make no mistake about it. I purposely introduced him to this vixen. Don’t get me wrong. I wanted it just as bad as he did and I’m smitten with it too, but Wayne is really head over heals. The surefire signs he’s gaga for the DVR: 1. He set it up the moment he came home. (To save us money, I went to pick it up … Continue reading →

How Did We Ever Live Without a DVR?

I know TiVo’s been around for a while now, but Wayne and I aren’t always the most up-to-date techy users. In fact, we’re usually well behind most trends. It was only three years ago we got cell phones and only because he had to for his job. And it was only this past Christmas I got a digital camera. So it’s really no surprise we waited as long as we did to finally upgrade to DVR service with Comcast. Which we did this past week. Actually, it was two days ago to be exact and we can’t figure out why … Continue reading →

How the Government is Making Sure You Don’t Miss Your Favorite TV Shows

If you get your weekly dose of “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The Office” on an older TV that is not hooked up to cable or satellite, be aware–beginning February 18, 2009–you will no longer receive a picture. That’s the date the television industry will officially complete the transition from traditional analog broadcasting to digital. And for those of you who do not own a digital TV set (and you get your programming via over-the-air antennas) that’s the date you will no longer be able to view your favorite shows—-UNLESS you have a converter box. (If you have satellite or … Continue reading →