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Entry bubble Bring Your Lunch and Save Money!

By: Jake | January 12, 2009 | Category: Money

A Bagged LunchThe news these days is chock full of tips for saving money. We even have 66 simple ways for you to do that. But an alert Pueblo.gsa.gov visitor recently touched on an idea so obvious that most of us take it for granted. Simply, do you know how much you can save each month by bringing your lunch to work?

Like I said—it's obvious. You save more money making your own sandwich than you do paying Tony at the local sub shop, but have you ever sat down and quantified it? This alert reader sent us a lunch savings calculator from Bankrate.com which lets you calculate your savings from bagging your lunch over a long period of time.

To grab lunch in D.C. it costs me an average of $10 depending on what I get. The average cost for me to bring lunch is about $4. If I bring my lunch for a whole month, which is very doable, the calculator says I'll save $120. If I bring for a year, which is unlikely, I'll save $1,440. Bagging it for four years (impossible), will save me over $5000.

I don't know about you, but I'm able to really stick to something if there's a clear benefit to it. I won't be saving $1500 on lunch this year, but I know I can save at least $1000. While I'm bagging it, I can also focus more on my nutrition.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: financial_savings   jake   lunch   lunch_cost_calculator   money   savings  

 

Entry bubble National Glaucoma Awareness Month

By: Jake | January 05, 2009 | Category: Health

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world and it occurs when the fluid pressure inside the eyes gradually rises until it damages the optic nerve.

Nearly 2 million Americans age 40 and over suffer from glaucoma. Half of these people don't even know they have it since there are no symptoms. Luckily, glaucoma can be easily detected with a comprehensive eye exam. Early treatment, which includes prescription eye drops and sometimes surgery can prevent vision impairment and blindness.

Young people can get glaucoma and if someone in your family suffers from the disease, it puts you at greater risk. My grandfather has glaucoma so that puts me at risk. Since I am at risk, it is recommended I get my eyes tested every two years.

Find an eye care professional and get an eye exam scheduled today!

| Post a Comment | View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: blindness   glaucoma   jake   lost_eyesight  

 

Entry bubble Get a Job at Census!

By: Jake | December 29, 2008 | Category: General

Uncle SamWith the economic challenges we are facing in the U.S., a lot of people have been asking us how to get a job with the U.S. federal government. Nancy wrote a great post about finding a federal job, but I thought I'd mention that the U.S. Census Bureau offers a unique opportunity for those who want to serve for the next couple of years.

I know it's not even 2009 yet, but the Census is not wasting any time. They are already recruiting for the 2010 Census. As you probably know, the U.S. Constitution mandates a count of everyone living in the United States every 10 years. The Census is important since data from the count is used to distribute Congressional seats to states, make decisions about what community services to provide and how to divide $300 billion in federal funds to state, local and tribal governments each year.

Law requires that everyone in the U.S. fill out the 10-minute survey when it hits the street in March of 2010. It's the Census Bureau's job to get the survey out and make sure everyone is counted.

The most basic position the Census offers is the census taker. This person goes door to door verifying address lists in his or her local community. If you have a knack for "office work" there are census taker positions in local Census offices where you can do office work. Keep in mind these are temporary positions, but the Census Bureau is almost always hiring for various permanent full-time positions.

If you are looking for a way to work for the federal government, the 2010 Census is a great way to get started.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: 2010_census   census_employment   census_jobs   census_taker   federal_employment   government_job   jake  

 

Entry bubble Digital TV Switch for Analog Cable and Low Power Stations

By: Jake | December 22, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Last week I blogged about the digital television transition and I'm back on it this week with a new development.DTV Transition

To keep this as simple as possible, let's summarize what we have stated so far. Most over the air broadcast stations will transfer from analog to digital-only broadcast on February 17, 2009. If you have a digital TV, you will be able to receive broadcast channels over-the-air. Those of you with analog TV's will need a converter box to get the digital stations over-the-air. You can apply online for coupons to get a $40 discount on the converter boxes.

We've also established that people with satellite and cable service may need equipment to receive digital transmissions on their analog TV's because of the transition, but you should go to your service provider for details. Cable companies have been moving channels from analog to digital systems for the transition, but the news is that this week they stopped.

In this letter to Congress, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, who represents 90 percent of cable companies, told Congress that cable companies were halting their transition until March to avoid customer confusion. It seems that in some instances analog cable subscribers using analog TV's will need a different converter box, which will be supplied through their cable company. In the letter the cable companies say they will provide this converter equipment for free to subscribers with analog TV's from March to June. Remember that NCTA does not represent all cable TV providers so you should contact your cable company for details on your particular situation.

As a commenter pointed out last week, not all broadcast stations will have to transfer to digital-only broadcast on February 19. There are four classes of broadcast TV stations: "full-power," "low-power," "Class A" and "translator." The latter three, which are for local programming and extension channels that rebroadcast "full-power" station programs in remote areas, do not have to meet the digital TV transition deadline in February. The FCC will be establishing a deadline for them in the near future and the coupons for the digital TV converter boxes stop going out at the end of March. They recommend you play it safe and get a coupon.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: digital_television   digital_tv_transition   jake  

 

Entry bubble Making the Digital TV Switch

By: Jake | December 15, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

A friend has ruined me with his huge digital TV. I won't go into the gory details, but let's just say I'm saving up for a huge digital TV.

DTV TransitionSince I have digital television on the mind, it's a good time to remind you that all stations in the U.S. will be transitioning from analog to digital-only broadcast on February 17, 2009. If you live in Wilmington, NC you already have digital-only broadcast and Hawaii will go digital-only on January 15. The rest of us have two months prep time. My post from August talks about the difference between analog and digital TVs and the chart below outlines what you need to do:

Do you own: Get your programming from: By Feb 17, 2009 you’ll need:
Analog TV Over-the-air or an antenna A Digital-to-Analog Converter box or to purchase a digital TV.
Analog TV Cable, satellite, or other paid service Contact your service provider for information.
Digital or High Definition TV Over-the-air or an antenna Do nothing.
Digital or High Definition TV Cable, satellite, or other paid service You Do Not need a converter box.

If you have an analog TV and need a digital-to-analog converter box, you can apply for a coupon to get one and you can go back and check the status of your order. Be sure to test your converter box after you install it.

We had some great discussions the last time I posted about this and since then I've found this PDF paper that answers some more detailed questions. If you have any questions or issues with the transition, let me know in the comments. Suggestions for a new large screen digital TV are also appreciated.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: digital_television   digital_tv   digital_tv_transition   jake  

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