Category Archives: Money

What Do You Buy At Costco?

I avoided having a membership to Costco for the longest time.  I didn't want to have to pay a yearly membership, for one thing, and I'd heard a few stories about impulse shopping and buying a large quantity of one item only to never use it.  My in-laws have given us 10 of an item on more than one occasion when it turned out they didn't care for the item they'd bought, since many of the canned goods come in… Read the rest

Did I Get a New Washing Machine or Not?

A couple of weeks ago I was trying to decide whether we should buy a new washing machine, or try to stick with our current machine. Mr. A and I were having a hard time forking out $400 or more on a washing machine which was working, aside from having a small tub, and oh, that pesky stopping mid-cycle problem which had escalated. It was stopping mid-cycle with great regularity, right at 17 minutes into the cycle. To keep things… Read the rest

Tips for Using Home Air Conditioning in Arizona

These tips will help you use your air conditioner efficiently and in the end is a way of saving money since your electricity bill will be lower, and in some cases can prolong the life of your unit since you may be able to catch a problem that could worsen if you just keep running it without having it serviced. Please bear in mind that I've lived in Arizona all my life and this information is derived from my personal… Read the rest

Why I Want a New Washing Machine

Yesterday I mentioned that I had hoped to earmark some of our tax refund for a new washing machine.  I was planning to spend $400 on this one on Memorial Day weekend: Maytag MVWC500VW 3.5 Cu Ft Top Load Washer. I researched it a bit, found satisfactory reviews, but then with another search I found nothing but negative reviews. Then I waffled and did nothing. There are three reasons I want to buy a new washer: My current washer has… Read the rest