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So, some rat fink got hold of my credit card number and charged $700 at the Walmart in Champaign, IL, of all places. I had to cancel the card. They're sending me another one within 10 working days. However, in 5 working days I'm taking a plane to London for business, after which I'm going...

So I'm looking for good, used kitchen cabinets for my old house. There are a lot of them on Craigslist, but many from homes in foreclosure. The most recent ad I saw was quite clear about it: "The house is in foreclosure so I need to get some money back." If I bought these I'd kinda feel...

So I had this 4/2 single-family home for 9 years and, seeing the way the real estate market had peaked and was slowing, I decided to get out of the landlord business. So I got it painted, put in new carpet, a "new" kitchen and appliances (got the cabinets on Ebay for $500 and put "em in...

Well... I am FINALLY tackling my back yard. The folks who lived here before me hired Fred F. Flinstone, Landscape Architect to design the area, so I've spent the last three weeks dragging bowling-ball-sized rocks out to the front yard. That over, I am considering two options -- a no-care...

I just viewed Chinaco's link to the PBS Retirement Show. (Thanks, C.) I was very interested in the Beacon Hill Village segment. It showed us a group of folks who wanted to retire in place vs in senior housing, and who created an organization ($580/yr per person) to provide them with services...

So you've had a friend for 15 years -- you met him at work, you and your wives see each other every couple of months, and you invite him to your guys-only dinner a couple of times a year. You have the friend and his wife to dinner one evening and while the girls do their thing, you take him...

My mother told me yesterday that my beloved 15-year-old niece has been diagnosed with Lupus. I was initially devastated to hear this, as I love her very much. But in looking at various websites it seems that the prognosis varies widely according to the individual. Further, they seem to...

Salutations to all, and a Happy, Happy New Year! If I seem perky today it's because I had a GREAT Christmas dinner with family and friends. I cooked for days and am exhausted, but everyone loved the food and each other, so it was worth it. Second reason for good cheer -- my Aunt (father's...

Twenty years ago I signed up for a longitudinal cardiac study. Every few years they drag me in for a treadmill test, blood tests for cholesterol, glucose, etc. They assess my diet, weigh me, measure my fat (increasing!) and otherwise prod and poke. More recently, they've added the...

I just got a flyer in the mail from Pacific Gas and Electric. It offers humongous rebates for switching to a more energy-efficient washer, dryer, fridge, air conditioner, etc. etc. But... what about me? I already HAVE an efficient washer, I use a radical new invention called a "clothesline" to...

In case you missed this on the evening news... a real heartwarming experience: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=2845247&page=1

...when you can retire to a third-world country right here at home? http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2007/01/countries_gdp_a.html

As I've mentioned I've got a rental house for sale -- and the proceeds will be a significant part of my retirement. I've done a LOT to fix it up and even in this bad housing market people are coming out to see it. Unfortunately, I also have a neighbor who REFUSES, despite my very polite...

I just ran across this ad by accident -- it seems that a first edition of Terhorst's book is going for the princely sum of $200 these days. http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=1-1131431839-0 Got mine for $10 or so at a library sale... when I said it was "the best investment I ever...

Greetings! I've been mulling over the purchase of an RV and picked up a book by JD Gallant. "How to Select, Inspect, and Buy an RV." He's got some pretty good information on design flaws, safety issues, dealing with salespeople without losing your shirt, etc. etc. Some of the safety information...

As I've posted elsewhere, my FIL is very, very sick with lung cancer. It's spread to his liver and they've discontinued chemo and radiation. He was told to go home and contact hospice, which the family has done. The Dr. didn't give him any timeline. She DID, however, tell the hospice worker that...

That's the title of this article in today's San Francisco Comical er, Chronicle.  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/23/DDGI8KMHJ71.DTL&hw=winn&sn=003&sc=744 General thrust of the article is that many people are not taking vacation and that "...73.9 percent of employees...

I've searched several of the Thailand threads - forgive me if I missed it, but does anyone here have a recommendation for a couple of good, budget-but-still-decent hotel in Bangkok? We'll spend one night there on the way to Nepal, so something near the airport / transportation would be great...

After 8 years of Northern California landlordship (with my sister and roommates as tenants), I've decided to 'git while the 'gittin's good and sell my rental property.  (1968 rancher - 4/2 -- 1500 sq ft.).  This is the first time I've ever sold a house.  I hired a guy to fix the bathroom...

I'm hoping the exprienced homeowners / landlords on this board can help me with this one... I've got a rental house in need of repairs to the bathroom -- shower needs replacing and, possibly, some of the sub-floor below needs to go, though we don't know that yet. My sister, who lives in the...

I've been selected to respond to the U.S. Census' "American Community Survey." Apparently, it's the new way of taking the census on a rolling basis, rather than once every 10 years. It includes a HUGE number of questions about my finances (income and specific source, property value, monthly...

lol -- my story is only slightly different, because I was 18 and didn't need permission to enlist.  My mother cried, and my father said:  "Bet the Navy can teach you to clean your room." He knew a thing or two, my old man did. Caroline

Folks on this forum have made many good and worthy points about Katrina and its aftermath.  However, Barbara Bush seems to have rendered moot all future debate over who was to blame, what should have been done, etc.: Ex-first lady sees Katrina's good side Washington -- As President Bush...

It's probably far too early to take lessons from the hurricane, but I am SO struck by how many people stayed put while the monster bore down on them. And how many of them paid with their lives. I myself was renting a house in the Berkeley Hills when the firestorm came through 15 years ago. I...

Greetings to all: I've got a choice -- I can work for 5-10 more years here in out-of-sight expensive northern california, or I can move to somewhere less expensive and get out earlier. My presence on this forum makes it easy to guess which way that choice is going to go! At the same time, a...