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01-10-2012, 05:21 PM
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#9421
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,022
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Made the decision to cut the cord break the dish and cancel our satellite TV subscription. DW and I looked at what we watched and realized we could get most, but not all of it via over the air antenna (already in place) or streaming over the net. I calculated we'd have to upgrade the internet service to be able to stream what we wanted, but we could pay for the added internet cost three times over from our no satellite savings.
When I called to cancel - and insisted to Directv that this customer of 13+ years was really, actually, sincerely cancelling, they found a "select" package containing the channels we wanted with a price $12.50/mo less than we are currently paying. When I said no thanks, please cancel my account, I was offered a $10/mo discount In addition to a $10/mo discount I'm already getting. The net of all the discounts and the new select results in a total savings of $24/mo when you figure in tax (currently paying a total of $63/mo).
No contract, no commitment, so I said I'd give it a try. First time they try to raise prices on me, I'm gone. And this time I really mean it...
__________________
Numbers is hard
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01-10-2012, 06:21 PM
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#9422
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,376
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Went downhill skiing with DW. Conditions were good albeit limited trails open. Felt much better today than a few weeks ago as conditions were better.
Stopped and bought a couple smart power strips on the way home for the upstairs TV/DVR/DVD, etc and downstairs TV/DVD/Wii, etc. Have been analyzing various loads using a kill-a-watt type meter and am trying to reduce the power bill.
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01-10-2012, 06:26 PM
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#9423
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,501
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
net of all the discounts and the new select results in a total savings of $24/mo when you figure in tax (currently paying a total of $63/mo).
No contract, no commitment, so I said I'd give it a try. First time they try to raise prices on me, I'm gone. And this time I really mean it...
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Great deal, REWahoo! That's a huge savings and will pile up, month after month.
As for me, I had another one of those uneventful but delightful days of retirement, though I'm sure excruciatingly boring to some. I'm apparently as old as Methuselah so I will spare everyone the dreadful details....
Anyway, lots of fun and I'm getting rid of my cold (oh, darn, another one of those things that working people do too! When will I ever learn).
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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01-10-2012, 07:10 PM
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#9424
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Southern Louisiana
Posts: 519
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Made the decision to cut the cord break the dish and cancel our satellite TV subscription. DW and I looked at what we watched and realized we could get most, but not all of it via over the air antenna (already in place) or streaming over the net. I calculated we'd have to upgrade the internet service to be able to stream what we wanted, but we could pay for the added internet cost three times over from our no satellite savings.
When I called to cancel - and insisted to Directv that this customer of 13+ years was really, actually, sincerely cancelling, they found a "select" package containing the channels we wanted with a price $12.50/mo less than we are currently paying. When I said no thanks, please cancel my account, I was offered a $10/mo discount In addition to a $10/mo discount I'm already getting. The net of all the discounts and the new select results in a total savings of $24/mo when you figure in tax (currently paying a total of $63/mo).
No contract, no commitment, so I said I'd give it a try. First time they try to raise prices on me, I'm gone. And this time I really mean it...
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ReWahoo, I had the same experience when I tried to cancel Sirius XM radio last spring. When I said I wanted to cancel, they transferred me to someone who's job was to prevent me from canceling at all cost. The bottom line was that I renewed again for another year but at 1/2 the cost that I had been billed for. Can you believe that? I will call to cancel again this spring because I really do want to cancel but if they cut my bill in half again, I'll just renew. If not, then adios XM radio.
So for those of you who have XM, don't renew when you get your bill. Call to cancel and you just might be pleased that you did.
__________________
Officially retired........Class of 2011
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01-10-2012, 07:37 PM
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#9425
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,296
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Quote:
Originally Posted by happy2bretired
I had five young hunks in my backyard today. Unfortunately they left their shirts on but with such nice weather they were down to t-shirts. Having my flower border reduced in size since I'm not getting any younger.
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Well now...
What were we talking about?
oh...flower border...yeah...
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
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01-10-2012, 07:59 PM
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#9426
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Dryer sheet wannabe
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Central FL
Posts: 24
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Got up took the garbage out then went and had brunch at the Yacht Club with other clients of my FA. (his yearly brunch for all) On the way home stopped and got the DW car washed, brought the garbage can in, did some laundry (with DW), played on the laptop, had a late lunch, took a nap, loaded 8' folding table into my truck and took it over to my sister, had dinner at my sisters since I took the table, home now reading e-mails, writing blogs. Watching a little TV.
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01-10-2012, 08:05 PM
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#9427
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,022
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oddjobdth
Got up took the garbage out then went and had brunch at the Yacht Club with other clients of my FA. (his yearly brunch for all)
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Am I correct to assume your FA has a yacht there, you and the rest of his clients do not?
__________________
Numbers is hard
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01-10-2012, 08:20 PM
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#9428
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Dryer sheet wannabe
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Central FL
Posts: 24
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No he has no yacht yet. lol He is a member tho. Some of the clients are just members too, not me, I actually don't own a boat, but have full access to two, one in the water all the time and one on a trailer. I keep them clean and full of gas and the owners are happy. Sometimes my hardest decission is to which one to take out.
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01-10-2012, 10:26 PM
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#9429
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pb4uski
Stopped and bought a couple smart power strips on the way home for the upstairs TV/DVR/DVD, etc and downstairs TV/DVD/Wii, etc. Have been analyzing various loads using a kill-a-watt type meter and am trying to reduce the power bill.
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What an appropriate place for a dumb question.
What's a "smart" power strip? I think I have our house pretty well tricked out with the "other" type but I'm always looking for improvements...
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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01-10-2012, 10:44 PM
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#9430
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,501
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I was curious too, so I searched for it and found these:
Amazon.com: smart power strip
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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01-11-2012, 06:40 AM
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#9431
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,066
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__________________
simple girl
less stuff, more time
(55, married; Mr. Simple Girl, 59. FIRED 12/31/19!)
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01-11-2012, 07:42 AM
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#9432
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,376
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords
....What's a "smart" power strip? I think I have our house pretty well tricked out with the "other" type but I'm always looking for improvements...
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It was new to me too Nords. It has two different sets of plugs; one set that are always on like a regular plug and another that are only on when a "control" device is on. The objective is to minimize vampire (standby) power draw.
So in my case, the Dish box/DVR and radio will be plugged into the always on plugs and the TV will be the control device and the DVD, Wii and TV headsets will be switched devices. When I turn the TV off it will kill power to the DVD, Wii and TV headsets and eliminate any vampire power draw of those devices.
I ran the kill-a-watt with my current set up and will run it again with the smart strip and get a sense as to what the savings would be. The smart strip was ~$20 at my local hardware store.
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01-11-2012, 09:17 AM
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#9433
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,880
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I like it; my rough calc is that if the phantom load it saves is 13 watts, it would take 1 year to pay back the $20 expense.
Hey kids want to impress your frugalista friends by doing calcs like that in your head? Here's how: run the numbers with your electric bill to determine how much it would cost to have a 100 watt light bulb on 24/7 for a year. With that you can calculate a watts to $/year conversion factor. For me it's 1.5.
__________________
Al
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01-11-2012, 10:42 AM
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#9434
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,401
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I am sitting at Le Tub in Hollywood Beach, FL, and a bird has just dropped a sachet of sweetener on the table from a tree above my head. This place is quirky!
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01-11-2012, 12:28 PM
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#9435
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,376
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
I like it; my rough calc is that if the phantom load it saves is 13 watts, it would take 1 year to pay back the $20 expense.
Hey kids want to impress your frugalista friends by doing calcs like that in your head? Here's how: run the numbers with your electric bill to determine how much it would cost to have a 100 watt light bulb on 24/7 for a year. With that you can calculate a watts to $/year conversion factor. For me it's 1.5.
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Do you mean 150 rather than 1.5?
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01-11-2012, 12:37 PM
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#9436
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 757
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Adopted a new kitty after euthanizing my 19 yo guy last Thursday. Will be bringing her home on Friday!
__________________
“It is not a sign of good health to be well adjusted to a sick society”.------Krishnamurti
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01-11-2012, 12:40 PM
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#9437
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
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MUST NOT POST!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)
This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
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01-11-2012, 12:40 PM
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#9438
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
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MUST NOT POST!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)
This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
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01-11-2012, 12:43 PM
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#9439
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SF East Bay
Posts: 4,342
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tangomonster
Adopted a new kitty after euthanizing my 19 yo guy last Thursday. Will be bringing her home on Friday!
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+1
Glad that you will be giving that little bundle of fur a good and loving home
__________________
Contentedly ER, with 3 furry friends (now, sadly, 1).
Planning my escape to the wide open spaces in my campervan (with my remaining kitty, of course!)
On a mission to become the world's second most boring man.
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01-11-2012, 01:33 PM
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#9440
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Meadbh
I am sitting at Le Tub in Hollywood Beach, FL, and a bird has just dropped a sachet of sweetener on the table from a tree above my head. This place is quirky!
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Have fun on your cruise !
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