Savvy Saving Bytes

Last summer after budworms mercilessly devoured my geraniums AGAIN I finally threw in the towel. From then on geraniums and their unwelcome pals, budworms, were verboten on my terrace. Years before I had already thrown in the towel on petunias for the very same reason. Budworms: those evil pests that would insidiously devour my flower [...]

I was up late that Saturday night reading the Sunday Times when I hard an odd snapping noise. Snap-snap-SNAP — the snapping got faster and louder and suddenly burst into what sounded like powerful firecrackers going off. Alarmed, I jumped up, trying to figure out what was happening and where the scary sounds were coming [...]

For the past few years my renters insurance premiums have seen pretty steep increases, but this year’s 2012 bill catapulted my blood pressure to the top of the charts. The insurance company I’ve been with for years upped my annual bill by 20%! The reason? Not a single one on my end. Last year not [...]

Most readers get to my blog after fairly mundane Google searches. But some of these information seekers arrive with such peculiar, downright oddball queries, I can’t help but wonder about them. Here are a few of those singular queries (in bold italic, spelling and grammar uncorrected): “Which procedure is less expensive for funeral – creamation [...]

In expensive cities Like New York, it’s cheaper to rent housing than to buy, which is fine by me. I’ve never even considered buying a home. Here are five reasons why: A Home Means WORK! The second your pen hits that mortgage, your work commences. Weeks, months, and years of painting inside and out, of [...]

Some cities with the biggest blowups in the real estate market collapse now offer some of the best rental deals in the country. Thanks to a flood of vacant, single homes that many people are still too skittish to buy, these cities offer a plentiful supply of rental homes at reasonable prices. This is especially [...]