It Pays to Shop Around

I’m so happy! I am always so happy when I get a great deal.

I have a computer with a Vista 64-bit operating system. It’s much easier to find compatible software than it used to be, but it can still be a challenge with the older programs, like my beloved Paint Shop Pro 8 and 9. I loved those programs. But they won’t really work on my machine. PSP 9 will technically “work,” but it has to re-adjust the display settings when it starts up and closes, and I just hate it. SO I’d been keeping my eyes peeled for a newer version of PSP (and my kids wanted the older versions of their computers, so…).

I was browsing at Staples and saw a terrific package called the “Corel Word Perfect Home Media Works” but it was priced at $80! And that was a sale price, too! Gulp. The package looked perfect though– it has Paint Shop Pro X, ULead VideoStudio (which I’ve been wanting for a long time, to replace the Windows MovieMaker I have), WordPerfect X3, and the Intervideo DVD Copy 5 Express. All four programs for $80 was actually a great deal, since PSP sells for about $50 and the newest version is about $100. But still, $80? No way.

I shopped aorund on eBay and found two there. Oh my word, they were $20, brand new and never opened! I ordered it and it came today. The package is definitely brand new– everything is installed– and I just love it! I now have my new PSP (works perfectly) and my ULead. I am flying high!!

So when you see something, especially software, look around at Amazon and eBay. And if you are looking for software, try an older version. Usually there is nothing wrong with an older version and you can save the big bucks just by avoiding the new stuff.

Help For the Uninsured

Well, I no longer have health insurance. Not unless I want to pay $500 a month for coverage. Holy cow! I don’t even spend that much on health care in a YEAR! I eat right, watch my diet, *try* to exercise, and I brush and floss every day. I do, however, wear eyeglasses. And the ones I have right now are several years old. I have to get a replacement, and since I’ll be paying out of pocket, guess what I’m going to do?

I’m going straight to ZenniOptical.com. I really like this site. It has everything. At the optician’s place, I could only choose one out of about a dozen styles (and the styles were pretty lame there). At ZenniOptical.com, I have loads and loads of choices! I am in control at last, not my HMO! It’s actually kind of liberating.

By now you might be wondering why on earth I sound so happy– these costs are coming out of pocket! Well, guess what– eyeglasses at ZenniOptical.com are costing me the same amount as my old co-pay for the cheesy-looking HMO glasses! Eyeglasses at ZenniOptical.com are as low as $8. It’s been making a sensation in the media. I’d heard about ZenniOptical.com on Clark Howard (love his show) and now they are mentioned in a book!

Frugal times call for frugal methods. Check out ZenniOptical.com. The selection is great, and there are quality lenses for every type of eye and prescription there. I love them!

How Are Your Passwords?

I’ve been hearing about more hacking attempts these days. The most notable was the attack on Sarah Palin and her Yahoo email account. That was disgusting, but it goes to show you how quickly and easily some things can be hacked.

I try to make my passwords with a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. Nothing annoys me more than a banking website that only allows you numbers and letters. Are they idiots? Numbers and letters can be hacked in a flash. Hackers use special software that runs combinations at a very high speed. If your password has only numbers and letters, you’re making it easier for your account to be hacked.

Microsoft has a great page that will check the strength of your password for you. It’s here. They’ve also got a page of tips on creating strong passwords, here. I suggest you read it! Don’t give those hackers any more ammunition!

Using the Internet for Financial Help

The Internet is filled with advice on how to manage your money. Finding a reputable website can be quite the arduous task! However– it is not an impossible task. I’ll admit- my husband and I are in debt. Several years ago, he lost his job and couldn’t find another one (this has happened twice so far in the terrible New York State economy). The jobs he did find paid only half of what he was making previously. Ouch. Back then, we knew very little about debt and how to manage it. There were really no resources available to us (that we knew of). But now, thanks to websites like Bills.com, we can read about managing finances, paying off debt, and learning about how to wisely consolidate debt. Bills.com offers excellent articles, testimonials, and debt and mortgage calculators to use to manage debt and improve one’s finances.

At Bills.com, you can learn about:

the importance of credit counseling

debt negotiation

debt consolidation

the benefits of a debt management program

debt settlement

debt relief and how to get it

Certainly, the most important thing to do when working out of debt is to create a plan and stick to it! Consolidation can help, because it can reduce your interest rates, reduce payments yet pay off the amount quicker, and it also has the effect of giving you a solid plan for paying off the debt. I have recently consolidated my own debt and am no longer frittering away, throwing money at various accounts.

Before the Internet, we were at the mercy of the banks for advice and help with financial matters. But computers and the web has changed all that, and information is now at your fingertips. So if you are in need of some good information, take a look online at Bills.com. They even have a little “Boot Camp” to consolidate debt!

Online Shopping Is Healthy For Your Wallet

I’ve been scouring local retail stores and the Internet, looking for software deals. My daughter received a “pre-owned” laptop as an early graduation gift, but it needs reformatting something fierce. Unfortunately, the Windows OS disks did not come with the laptop. Before I will allow her to connect the laptop to our network and the Internet, the machine must be reformatted. I was looking around online for prices on Windows XP (which we decided she would use), and was appalled at the cost of the operating system! I was so, so tempted to just install Ubuntu (which is free)! But for my daughter’s sake, I can’t; a lot of her programs wouldn’t work and she is accustomed to XP. Retail stores still had this seven-year OS for $200! My eyeballs were a-popping! I surfed around eBay, and prices were lower… but to be honest, I’m not terribly keen on eBay, especially when it comes to electronics and software. You just can’t be sure that it’s the real thing until you buy it. Too risky for this cautious shopper.

I have been using online “retail” stores (like Tiger Direct, Overstock, Amazon), and even with shipping costs, these stores still win, hands down. I have had good experience with them. However, if you are shopping online, be sure to check for coupons and promo codes first! This is a must. My sidebar has a list of good shopping links, so check them out. I have yet to add Coupon Chief, my new favorite coupon store. I think they have every store on the planet, even have Bluefly coupons for the intense shopping fans, and even Home Depot coupons, lol!

I have found online stores to offer better deals. If you are looking for even better discounts, always check for coupons and promo codes. Check my “Shopping” sidebar for my favorite stores and links.

Update: Coupon Chief link added. Check out the links if you shop online. As I discover more discount sites, I’ll add them. Look in the sidebar for the dropdown menu “Shopping.”

A Little DSL Modem Tip

I’ve had trouble for the past two or three weeks with my DSL router/modem. It’s a combination router and modem, and allows us to connect via ethernet and wireless. However, for some inexplicable reason, the wireless wouldn’t work. We couldn’t connect the laptops to the network or to the Internet. I did all sorts of troubleshooting, and finally came to the conclusion that it was the modem and not anything else (like the PC cards or the telephone service).

Usually, I unplug the modem from the telephone jack and the power source. I do this with our cordless telephone, too. Sometimes these devices just need a refresh to get back to business. But not even these techniques worked.

I was surfing around, and found a person or two who had the same problem. One response was to update the software for the modem. Hm. I had never updated the software since I got DSL service, about two years ago!

I went to my ISP’s home page and looked around for software update notifications. Amazingly, I found something (my ISP is notorious for its poor service and unfriendly user pages). I updated the software, and it all worked! We’ve not had any problems since.

So, if you discover that your DSL wireless won’t work, and you’ve tried the unplugging and replugging of your modem and phone, try looking for a software update. It may just be what you need.

How To Add Custom Text in a Wordpress Blog Category Page

Here’s a quick article on adding custom text to a categories page for your Wordpress blog. First, a little background.

Wordpress sorts your blog posts into categories. See here for the definition from Wordpress. Wordpress also has something they call a “template hierarchy.” A good explanation comes from Tina Gasperson’s blog:

Because most WordPress themes have a single template for archives, aptly named archive.php, it’s not immediately apparent how to place a text ad on a specific category results page. But never fear: by default, WordPress searches using what it calls a “template hierarchy.” By taking advantage of the template hierarchy, it’s easy to make a special page that keeps your text ad where it belongs.

The template hierarchy works like this: if your visitor clicks on category #3, WordPress first looks for the most specific template: category-3.php. If it doesn’t find that, then it goes after the more generic category.php, and then archive.php, and if it doesn’t find that, it finally drops back to index.php. Armed with this knowledge, you can create a category-specific template using archive.php as a base.

Yes, armed with the knowledge of how Wordpress works, you can guide the system using this template hierarchy. You can make Wordpress show special text on certain category pages. This is not a difficult task, but I will assume that you know about coding and are familiar with the Wordpress format. This is how you do it.

So let’s say you want to post some text (for example, a text ad) under a certain category– but not all your categories. Let’s say you want to post a text ad under your category named “blogging.” Wordpress calls this category “blogging,” but Wordpress also assigns an Identity Number to this category, too. You need to find this ID number before you can do anything.

Log in to your Wordpress blog and go to “Manage” and choose “Categories.” You’ll see your list of categories. Since we are going to alter the “blogging” category, look for it in the list. Look for the ID Number.

In the image above, the ID Number we want is 73.

Now, go to “Presentation” (somewhere to the right of “Manage”) and choose “Theme Editor” tab. You will probably have a different theme than I, and your php files will look different, too. But the basic bones should be there. In the “Theme Editor” screen, look to the right-hand side and you’ll see a long list of links. Listed here are php files, like Style sheet, Header, Main Index Template, etc. Don’t worry if you don’t have the same ones that I do, or vice versa– it really depends on the theme you are using. However, some files should be the same. Just like people all have heads and eyes but different hair and eye color… your theme should have certain “body parts” but the styles may vary. Look for the php file called “archives.php.” Click it. When the page reloads, make sure it says “Editing “archive.php” at the top.

Copy all of the code in this file. Now, open up a new Notepad file. Paste the copied archive.php code into this new Notepad page. Now you are going to save the Notepad page, but you need to rename it using the ID Number of that category you wanted to change. Remember how our “blogging” category has an ID if 73? This is what I named my Notepad page:

Be sure to name your file exactly that (just use your own ID Number for your own category). Make sure there is a hypen and make sure you have the .php. Save the Notepad file but don’t close it yet!

You need to put in your text ad. Grab your text and paste it in like this (mine is in red):

<?php get_header(); ?>
<div id=”primary-content”>
<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . ‘/theloop.php’); ?>

<p>
The kinder, gentler computer geek, <a href=”www.mrsmecombersscrapbook.com”>Mrs. Mecomber</a>, has recently issued her top ten free software programs for 2008.
</p>

</div>
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
<?php get_footer(); ?>

Do you see how you are inserting your code between these two lines of code?

<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . ‘/theloop.php’); ?>

</div>

Of course, your text ad will be different, unless you want to give me some free advertising.

Now, save your Notepad file again. Upload this file into your FTP program. Go back to your Administrative page in Wordpress (you may need to refresh or click a link elsewhere and come back to the page). You should now see your “category-IDNUMBER.php” file in the right-hand side.

You’ll notice that the Archive files remains unchanged, too.

Your text should now show up in only that category page. Ain’t Wordpress fun?

Is There Such a Thing As Search Engine Privacy?

I was aghast to discover a few months ago the policies of search engine companies. The SEOs hold on to your searches information for inordinate periods of time. I’d read recently about a new policy by Ask.com. They are hoping their new policy will give them the edge over the giants (and you know who they are).

Jumping on the privacy bandwagon, Ask is offering users the chance to take charge of what happens with their search history.

An AskEraser link will feature prominently on the Ask.com homepage and, when enabled by the user, will delete all future search queries and associated cookie information from its servers.

The information it destroys includes IP address, user ID and session ID along with the complete text of a query.

I could wish all SEOs did such. MSN and Yahoo save the information for 18+ months, although policies bounce up and down more than stock market numbers. And when the Bush Administration demands the numbers from AOL, MSN, and Yahoo, they obediently hand it over. AOL might even broadcast that information– oopsie!

Google holds on to the info forever. Well, they say they’ve changed that to be 18 months, but who believes them?

Here’s a great comparison chart by CNet, showing the policies of the SEOs.

Moral of the story: your searches are monitored, and may be used against you. Be clean with your searches and use a variety of search engines frequently.

Eventually all the information will be condensed anyway, but at least we’re stemming the tide.

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