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advice
advice
What Grads Need To Know About Choosing Careers
By Phil Villarreal on January 10, 2012 10:15 AM
77 Comments
Determining exactly what you want to be when you grow up is a process that can last years after you graduate. With trial, error and an accumulation of knowledge, you can strive to find a career that fulfills you financially and spiritually. More »
3 Moves To Keep You Comfy While Traveling Abroad
By Phil Villarreal on December 1, 2011 10:15 AM
50 Comments
Those who are leaving the country for the first time or haven't been abroad since college may not know what they're getting into. Overseas travel presents myriad complications for newbies who don't do what seasoned vets do to make things easier. More »
(Scoboco)
Habits To Take On To Become An Overachiever
By Phil Villarreal on October 28, 2011 12:15 PM
89 Comments
Attaining more success could be simply a matter of tweaking your daily routines to make yourself more productive. By making better use of downtime and taking steps to avoid distractions, you may surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish. More »
Quick Fixes That Ready Your Home For The Cold
By Phil Villarreal on September 30, 2011 4:30 PM
39 Comments
Now that the colder months are approaching, it's a good time to ready your home for the change in weather. It's better to consider maintenance and repairs now then when your roof has sprung a leak or your ragged windows start allowing drafts. More »
(blue_j)
Experts: Don't Buy A Car This Year
By Phil Villarreal on May 23, 2011 1:30 PM
96 Comments
In recent years, auto manufacturers have stumbled over themselves attempting to give customers reasons not to wait to buy cars. But due to a seller-favoring market, low or zero-interest financing, rebates and discounts may be fading away in the short-term, making it wise to wait if you're considering a car purchase. More »
(djzealot)
How To Quit Your Day Job
By Phil Villarreal on April 10, 2011 1:30 PM
94 Comments
If you haven't fantasized about quitting your day job to indulge your true calling, congratulations — You're Tom Brady. Give Gisele our love. More »
(brianarn)
Phone Tips For People Who Hate Phones
By Phil Villarreal on April 9, 2011 1:30 PM
68 Comments
For people who'd rather live their lives by email and text messages, pressure to participate in actual phone calls can be an unreasonable burden. Lifehacker offers valuable tips to neutralize the annoyances phones can foist upon you: More »
Your Life Is In Your Phone - Here's How You Protect It
By Phil Villarreal on December 20, 2010 10:15 AM
31 Comments
Since your phone is almost always close at your side, either in your pocket or bag, it's easy to skimp on security. But take a moment and consider just how precious the info you've got locked up therein and you may want to take steps to safeguard your phone. More »
How Not To Be Annoying And Incompetent At E-mail
By Phil Villarreal on October 2, 2010 1:30 PM
140 Comments
Just because you've fired off dozens of emails every day for more than a decade, it doesn't mean you've been doing it right. You may reinforcing bad habits with each misfired message, unaware that you're rankling friends, business contacts and customer service reps. More »
Slash Your Budget By Changing Routines
By Phil Villarreal on September 26, 2010 10:00 AM
45 Comments
One of the easiest ways to go broke is to become used to spending too much on stuff without putting any thought into your bills and purchases. A few phone calls and clicks and new habits can work some wriggle room into your budget. More »
Advice For Holiday Travelers This Year: Buy Your Tickets Now
By Chris Walters on September 20, 2010 12:30 PM
23 Comments
CNN's Travel Companion suggests you start looking for Thanksgiving and Christmas tickets now, because airlines have cut capacity over last year, and the peak travel times for those two holidays are shorter this year than usual. The article also provide some tips for getting a good price: shop for single seats; aim for Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday flights; and if you can, try to fly on an actual holiday. More »
(kkimpel)
Are Upside-Down Tomato Planters No Good?
By Chris Walters on August 11, 2010 12:30 PM
103 Comments
A tipster sent us a link to this short advice column on gardening at PennLive.com, where the author says upside-down planters in general aren't that great, and in dry hot summers are particularly bad for your tomatoes. More »
It's Never Too Late To Haggle, Even At Target
By Chris Walters on August 9, 2010 7:00 PM
48 Comments
Kyle just emailed us a recap of his successful haggling adventure at Target this past weekend. If you're afraid to try haggling at a big chain store, check out his story for an example of how to make it pleasant for all parties involved; the goal is to approach it as a negotiation where everyone wins, not as a zero-sum competition. More »
Tips For Saving Money On Textbooks
By Chris Walters on August 2, 2010 9:30 AM
75 Comments
The second half of summer is "complain about textbook prices" season, and last week the New York Times put together a special section on the topic and asked experts to weigh in. Too many of the contributors just provide an overview of the situation but no solutions; a publishing industry representative actually defends textbook prices as trivial compared to other educational costs. Fortunately Anya Kamenetz, who writes for Fast Company, suggests Flat World Knowledge. And to be fair, the guy who defended textbooks prices suggests CourseSmart for ebook rentals. The Times also asked students, professors and parents to weigh in with advice. More »
Don't Do These Things If You Want To Save Dough
By Phil Villarreal on July 28, 2010 9:15 AM
62 Comments
Tips on how to save money are well and good, but advice on what not to do is at least as valuable. Time's It's Your Money blog takes the negative approach to keep you from making financial mistakes. More »
(Brent)
Formerly Beloved Technical Analyst For Wall Street Warns Massive Market Crash Coming
By Chris Walters on July 7, 2010 11:31 AM
48 Comments
Pick any Roland Emmerich disaster movie and randomly select a scene—that's more or less what Robert Prechter, a market forecaster who was widely lauded as a technical analyst in the 1980s, says is coming to the Dow, writes the New York Times. More »
(AMagill)
Fun Summer Project: Get Your Tax Records In Order!
By Chris Walters on June 28, 2010 9:30 AM
3 Comments
Inc. magazine has published a list of tips on how to get your home business tax documentation in order right now, so next year's tax filing will be trouble free. Sure, this isn't the most exciting staycation idea ever, but on the other hand anything you can do at home you can do in your underwear with a six pack of beer. I should really become a motivational speaker. More »
Want A Good, Cheap Chardonnay This Summer? Try 7-Eleven
By Chris Walters on June 14, 2010 5:23 PM
36 Comments
No, seriously. According to taste tests performed by wine experts at Consumer Reports, Yosemite Road chardonnay—which is sold by 7-Eleven for around $5 a bottle—is among the top four "very good" recommendations by the magazine in its July issue. More »
(qwrrty)
Save Money On Head Lice Removal
By Chris Walters on June 2, 2010 5:11 PM
64 Comments
You're a good Consumerist. You make your own kids at home. You grow your own lice in a coffee can you found on the street. You dump the lice on the kids' heads before you send them off to school. After all that, the last thing you want to do is spend a fortune on lice removal treatments, right? You're in luck: the New York Times says you don't have to spend a lot of money de-lousing your itchy little child. More »
Need Sunscreen? Here Are The Ones Consumer Reports Likes
By Chris Walters on May 31, 2010 12:09 PM
52 Comments
It's Memorial Day! There is sunshine out my window, and it's calling me to come bathe in it! But before I go get arrested for public nudity in the park, I'm going to apply some decent sunscreen that blocks both UVB rays and UVA rays. Consumer Reports tested sunscreens recently and says these are the top 4 products in terms of effectiveness. All of them are sprays, and fortunately the top scorer is also the second cheapest in the entire test group. More »
