Mrs. Mecomber’s Scrapbook

Frugal people are some of the most financially secure people. Unfortunately, I started my frugality a little late. :S I wish I had gotten an earlier start. While I am not absolutely determined to retire at age 65, I do wish my husband and I had started saving money much, much earlier. Even if it was just to get that “dream house” or be able to afford a few weeks off together– it would have been lovely. Of course, it’s not too late! But I regret missing all that opportunity to do so. Oh well, it’s like I tell people who ask about my Social Security funds– my four children are my security in my old age.

How about you? I know I have a lot of frugal-minded and investment-minded readers. If you could do things differently, what would it be? Would you ever seek the advice of a financial consultant? My husband worked for several years as an insurance salesman, and got some training in financial consulting. It was not an easy job! It required lots of constant training, and keeping up-to-date with the latest financial tool, and the ups and downs of the stock market. I couldn’t imagine building a serious portfolio without the aid of a consultant or reputable company, like Northern Trust. The Northern Trust website is loaded with information, tips, market information from Reuters, and an assortment of personal and institutional service to build that financial security we desire. Believe me– trusting in the government for Social Security is NOT going to cut it in today’s world! I believe that Social Security will not even be available for my generation. Things like building one’s own private banking accounts for savings, and investments is the only way retirement will be tangible. Check out Northern Trust for more information about how to secure your financial future.

I found this news story through VistaNews newsletter. It’s a terrific news letter (e-zine) full of great tech articles.

The news story is about RepairPal.com. It sounds terrific!

RepairPal, which went live roughly three weeks ago, culls data to determine how much every car repair will cost based on the region. RepairPal licensed information on how much it takes mechanics to repair something from an undisclosed data provider. The company will also alert users to what other parts may need to be replaced when getting a specific service.

Unfortunately it’s true– when it comes to car repairs, most of us are at the mercy of the auto mechanic. I don’t like that. When I have car problems, I’ve always done a search first, but it’s been like finding a needle in a haystack to find something relevant about my repair. This looks like a great site to bookmark!

Firefox is rapidly becoming the browser of choice for Internet users. It is the only browser I use, unless I’m having technical problems and need to use Internet Explorer. I love the tabbed feature of Firefox more than anything. There’s a lot about Firefox that can be confusing, though (ever look into about:config?). I have found the Mozilla forums to be an essential help. Most of the forums is about the Firefox browser. You won’t find tips about cheap term life insurance, but you will reap reams of additional information by reading some of the small talk that goes on between the geeks. It is truly a learning experience! The forum link is here.

Do you have your own blog on your own domain, or manage a website? I have to admit, for a long time I was in the dark about ftp and such. I actually am still learning the ropes, after finally taking the leap into my own domain several months ago. I use a variety of ftp programs, but tend to like SmartFTP more than FileZilla. For the longest time, I had no idea what I was doing! a lot of what I have learned has been trial and error. Emphasis on the error, lol.

I found, by pure accident, some excellent tutorials for SmartFTP users. They are flash movies, and are really good. So if you use SmartFTP, or are even desiring to learn the ropes of ftp, these tutorials may help; they are here.

Ever since I was a newbie, I’ve been interested in forums, tech help sites, and tutorial sites. It wasn’t too easy finding them, though. It took a lot of searching back then to find good sites.

Nowadays, there’s a glut of help and tutorial sites (of which I am thankful). But did you know that you can receive great information in your email inbox? I’m talking about subscribing to computer “e-zines.” My two favorites are the daily emails from Kim Komando and WinXPNews.

I loved Kim Komando’s Tips email– I looked forward to them every morning. Now that I have a lot of years and experience under my belt, they aren’t as helpful. But they are still very good, and I try to read them when they interest me and when I have time. They are excellent for newer computer users. Kim keeps things very simple, and she makes herself personally available to help out users with specific problems. You can sign up for her free emails at her website. There are several to choose from, or get all of them! Her message boards are also a very good way to get to know the computer world a little better.

Another helpful email I get is from WinXPNews. I’ve been receiving these for a few years now. They cover topics that are a little more advanced, so they keep me challenged. They’ve recently expanded their subscription service to include VistaNews, an email solely about Vista issues. I haven’t opted in to receive that one, as I don’t have Vista and so far, I haven’t been impressed enough to buy it. I’m sticking with XP for a while. If I ever do choose another operating system, it will be Ubuntu.

I also get emails from CNet, because I’m a download junkie. I’m not terribly impressed with their emails, though. Wired is another good site but I haven’t gotten around to signing up with them, yet. I’m pleased with what I have right now, anyway.

So if you are hankering for some down-to-earth information to make you a better and more informed computer user, I recommend getting emails. It also helps to read the emails.

According to internet marketing, before anything, internet safety comes first. This means that all the policies of web marketing should revolve around safety for us as well as others. Since long, people have associated risks with email marketing. This is why internet marketers charges are increasing, since everyday they are coming up with a new marketing solution that suits everyone.