What Can You Do With That Extra $5,000?

The current issue of Money magazine features a plethora of money multiplying choices. Numerous ideas which make sense and help you grow a stack o' dead presidents with little pain.

Don't have 5 G's to play this game? Here are a few ideas to help:

• Do you really need 500 channels of choice entertainment on your television? I think not. When I grew up we were lucky to have 5 or 6 channels. In fact, get rid of your cable, satellite dish, TIVO, and DVD addiction. Stop the wishful thinking; you know the Browns, Indians, Reds or Bengals aren't going to win anything. Besides, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Wonder Years, and Sanford and Son were cancelled.
  
• Stop buying CD's. They're so yesterday. Anyway, there's plenty of blogs and file sharing programs where you can get all that stuff for free! Now understand this; I'm not advocating lawless behavior. So, if the RIAA comes a callin', you read this on California Then California Now.
• Stop buying books and head to the library. Wait a minute, no one around here reads books. Scratch this idea.
• Sell off your gas guzzling SUV/pickup and opt for an auto, scooter, bicycle, or walk. You'll save thousands on gas and insurance. One plus: Coshocton streets will look abandoned. One drawback: soccer moms will need to learn how to balance three kids on a scooter.

What are you waiting for? Follow the Money link below:

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Free Computing Resources

Software costs continue rising and, often, you pay for less than desirable results. Many people find it difficult to justify paying for basic software necessities such as firewalls and anti-virus.

Fear no more. There exist numerous free software applications that can help you improve your computing experience. Most are easy to set up and work seamlessly with your existing applications.

Over at Tech Support Alert they list the 46 best freeware utilities. Also, the site features a range of troubleshooting resources.

If you want to learn more about your computer, the always excellent Langa List should give you plenty to chew on. The free basic version covers a range of computing topics. It's well written and easy-to-understand. I've subscribed to this newsletter for years and highly recommend it.

Also, a word of warning. Anytime you make changes in your computer, you should back up your system first. What I've given you are resources. From this point, you're on your own.

If you have any personal favorites, tell other CTCN readers by posting in the comment section.

How Rich Are You?

Nothing like a little sobering life perspective.

Just how rich are Americans in the global perspective? If you make more than $25 K, give yourself a big back slap; you're a top 10 percenter.

Get the scoop at The Global Rich List calculator. Go ahead. This is your day of opulence, rich boy. Gloat, American style.

Job Haters Unite

Do you hate your job?

According to this article in Forbes, the top reason people hate their jobs is due to a difficult boss. Go figure.

Of course, there's always feeling unappreciated, overworked, and compensation issues.

Also, the article states that people often stay in a miserable job due to a number of factors which include not wanting to lose a friend, the cash, or the benefits. I've always found that friend's rarely are friends, you can make better money elsewhere, and you'll have to jump through hoops to collect most of your benefits. I've witnessed numerous companies weasle out of benefits (we're cutting back; there's no money available) once you're hired.

When you're stressed about your job and need a little perspective, visit the worst jobs in history website. Now, things don't seem that bad, do they?

Avoiding Outrageous Hospital Charges

Nobody enjoys hospital stays; especially when the bills arrive. Often, scanning a page of hospital charges can be enough to send you back from a heart attack.

What can you do to keep hospital charges in check? I'm glad you asked; here's "10 Ways to Avoid Outrageous Hospital Charges".

Utah Investigators Find Gas Stations Price Manipulate

Hey, did you hear?

Utah state investigators found that gas stations are gouging consumers through price manipulation. I guess when you watch station prices move on a daily basis, sometimes two or three times per day, that's not hard to figure out.

McOpoly Mania For The Masses

Since we're on the topic of fat bodies and health, I know you McDonald's freaks are loading up on french fries in order to collect Monopoly game pieces.

While attending Ball State, I knew a person who won $100,000 playing the game. Not bad dough for a college student, huh?

Anyway, the game hasn't changed much, but the financial rewards have grown. Here's a site which lists the rarest game pieces and how much the game pays off.

How To Lose Your Fear Of Being Fired

The fear of being fired is what keeps many employees in perpetual career limbo. Fear of being fired often causes an employee to cowtow to superiors--even when the boss makes bad decisions (look at the people who surround President Bush).

Which brings me to this article, "How To Lose Your Fear Of Being Fired". The article shows how you can prepare yourself for the inevitable day so that it rolls off your back like water off a duck's butt.

Reading Advertising Fine Print

I spend a great deal of time flitting around the web looking for useful stuff to share with CTCN readers. Most often, I bookmark sites and they become lost in the blizzard of life. Occasionally, I find one which I post immediately because I find it so compelling.

Such is the case with Mouse Print, a blog which looks at the advertising fine print and misdirection. I found it to be quite an eye opener and read every post. Some of these ads are blatant misrepresentations, others a little more coy. Take a look and tell me what you think. If you're like me, you'll be shaking your head after the third or fourth ad.

Twenty Ways To Save Energy

Beyond the ecology and money savings associated with saving energy, there's the whole nagging reliance on other government thing.

One quick look around and you see our country embroiled in multiple conflicts, both physically and rhetorically, with oil producers who use our oil weakness to their advantage. Our oil reliance pumps petro profits into nations which often use said dollars to arm themselves with a multitude of weaponry (good for weapon producers, bad for soldiers and civilians).

I guess it's up to us, the citizenry, to cut our nation's oil reliance since the politicians don't have the guts to piss off the corporation's who pay for the politician's election campaigns. Think about this for one minute.

If oil consumption dropped by one third, do you think prices would come down?

Coshocton, you can start today. Here's a Consumer Reports list of twenty ways to conserve energy.

Banksy Rocks L.A.

When Angelina Jolie spends, people listen.

The art world is abuzz over the Los Angeles Banksy art exhibit, Barely Legal, has drawn numerous celebrity buying types. Jolie purchased $400,000 worth of art, including this painting of a family enjoying a picnic amidst starving Africans, from the well known guerilla artist.

Banksy has gained notoriety with graffiti art placed on building worldwide.

Recently, he punk'd Paris Hilton's recently released CD and posted the the results on YouTube. He's painted a live elephant and placed a Guatanomo figure in Disneyland.

His marriage of conflicting imagery offends the stuffed shirt status quo by making people look at our world's loss of innocence due to progress. Also, much of his work shows the human devastation wrought by corporations and governments.

Banksy has a website where you can view more of his work. Stuffed shirts need not apply.

Bob Ney Congressional Pension Secure

The Columbus Dispatch reports that "Freedom Fries" Bob Ney gets to collect a nice fat pension courtesy of you, the taxpayer, even though he's plead guilty to a felony.

To be fair, "Freedom Fries" did attempt to install a section into a lobbying reform bill which would strip pension benefits from crooked Congressmen. Lucky for him, the bill hasn't yet passed.

Coming To Your Community: Shouting Surveillance Cameras?

The world gets a little spookier every day.

If case you haven't noticed the vast number of surveillance cameras (public and private) throughout the U.S., just know the Brits have a leg up on us. Not only do the Brits have cameras everywhere, they're using methods I'm sure will filter into this country soon.

In one British community, not only are you being watched, but if you do something like littering, the ever watchful eye will shout at you.

Also, the Brits have surveillance throughout their highway system. Cameras are used to catch speeders, cell phone offenders, seat belt non users, and uninsured motorists. Those ever resourceful Brits are watching the how much mileage you drive and charge you accordingly.
Of course, the British wrote the book on taxation without representation.

Don't think it won't happen here. Oregon is testing a pay to drive system funded by the feds.

Where's The Economic Growth?

Since we're on the money topic this morning, I keep hearing about the all the wonderful jobs that the Bush administration has created. I look around, scratch my noggin', and wonder where. I look around Ohio and I see massive layoffs and plant closings. Hmmm.

Now, everyone knows about how the housing industry has fueled economic growth. But like the internet crash at the turn of the century, I think the same is happening to the home building industry. The home building boom, has in large part, been driven by speculation. When the speculation dried up, homebuilders found themselves holding the bag in an overbuilt industry. There've been numerous layoffs throughout the industry and home builder's are in belt tightening mode.

So, from where is the job growth coming? Business Week has some answers. One industry about which BW didn't discuss was the defense industry. There has to be growth there, eh?

The National Budget On A Poster

Have you ever wondered what comprises the federal budget. After all, it's taxpayers like you who fund the budget.

Exactly, where does the money get spent? Who has the time to wade through the paperwork?

Jesse Bachman did and created a graphical representation for taxpayers to see. You can click around the graph to see what programs get less money and which get the lion's share (hint: defense, or is it offense?),

Save Money By Buying At The Right Time

Have you ever wondered what's the optimum purchasing time for airplane tickets? How about groceries? Cars? Clothing? Computers?

Oh yes, there are tricks of the trade you can learn by reading this article posted on Smart Money's website.

Profitable Dead Celebrities

Whoever thought that a dead celebrity could make more money dead than alive?

Elvis Presley and John Lennon continue to rake in mega bucks due to the effective management of their estates. In the case of Presley, who was well known for spendthrift ways, you might find him making less if he were alive today. Who knows?

Anyway, for your perusal, the Top 10 Profitable Dead Celebrities.

A side note...Profitable Dead Celebrities...sounds like a band name.

What's Wrong With My Food?

As it's a rainy day in Coshocton, I thought I could talk about something near and dear to my heart...food. There's been much talk in the blog-o-sphere concerning food, most of it scary.

I've covered the scare regarding terrorism and the food supply. Who can forget the recent story about hot dogs causing genetic mutations?

If that's not enough to give you cause to pause, how about the global warming effect on our food supply? A recent ABC story points out that global warming could cause food to cost 20 to 50 times more than what it does now. Do the math. A package of genetic mutating hot dogs would cost $60 bucks. Can you say Soylent Green?

Of course, our wise president feels global warming in mucha do about nothing. At least, we're seeing movement on a state level as evidenced by California stepping to the front of the pack and saying, "Let's do something before it's too late." Hopefully, we'll continue to see states and cities ignore the beltway bumblers.

Wait, there's even more food news. This past week, the FDA approved the use of bacteria eating viruses for use on lunch meats. Those in the know maintain that this is a safe process and there's nothing about which to worry. I understand this is to kill Listeria on processed meats, but we have to ask this question. Why is the Listeria there to begin with? What's wrong with processing that would necessitate the addition of a virus to kill a bacteria? One more thought. I'm not a scientific mind, but what happens if the virus mutates?

Speaking of food preservation, what about the use of carbon monoxide to keep pre-packaged meat looking fresh? According to Consumer Reports, carbon monoxide can keep meat looking fresh up to eight weeks? What about the bacteria count on that stuff? How does this benefit me as a consumer? The FDA had been urged to ban this crap, but how do we, as consumers, empower ourselves, to stop this process? What do you think?

I'll tell you, this can be a depressing topic. That's why I recommend this list of junk food that can actually be good for you. Actually, a shot of tequila and some beef jerky sound pretty good right now. I know it doesn't sound healthy, but I do have my list of Dr. Perricone's pro-inflammatory foods to avoid. Avoiding the foods on the list will help me stay trim...or will it?

A recent study points to the fact that fat bodies are caused by a range of problems; from too little sleep to not smoking to your parent's choice of a mating partner. Great googly moogly.

All this writing about food has made me hungry. As my hero, Homer Simpson, would say, "Mmmmm...food."

Roll Your Own Biodiesel

In case you missed yesterday's post regarding expanding gasoline, you missed out on a story about a big oil profit center which produces nothing for you, but beaucoup dollars for them.

What's a poor mother to do?

How about making your own fuel? If you've heard about Willie Nelson touring the country in his biodiesel bus, you may have asked yourself, "Where can I get some of that stuff?"

The good news...you can make your own.

Expanding Gasoline Explodes Oil Company Profits

Hoo haw, you're going to love this next story.

Have you ever wondered why you fill up your gas tank and your gas guage needle indicates there's little left to be desired? Blame it hot gas. According to a recently published story by the Kansas City Star, hot gasoline is costing consumers about $2.3 billion dollars per year. Worse yet, you're not getting anything for those billions.

I guess this partially explains record profits. Not.