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Save Money On Groceries – Buy In Bulk On Amazon.com

I hate shopping, grocery shopping particularly.  I hate grocery shopping so much that I think I’d rather be having a tooth pulled!  I think I’d rather be giving a coyote a haircut!  I think I’d actually rather get a job on the Honey Wagon! That’s why I’ve been on this search of how to cut this activity out of my life or at least minimize the amount of time it takes.  And I think I may have found out how!

Don’t get me wrong, because of how we shop, it really isn’t as bad as it could be.  In fact, when we first got married, I offered to do the shopping!  Nice guy, huh?  Well, as it turns out, be being gone hours on end, not knowing where anything is and having her home alone for the whole experience really wasn’t a favor at all.  We decided to do it as a team and it has turned out much better.  In fact, my wife and I have managed to stuff the bulk of our grocery shopping into a trip a month in order to save gas and aggravation.  We get the list together, split it in half, and split up in order to be done sooner.  It’s actually kind of cool because I usually pick up all of the items around the edges or the isles, like the milk, eggs, meat, and fruit, and she gets everything in the isles. We are usually done around the same time and we look for fruit, vegetables and desserts together.

As fun as all of that sounds, I think I may have found something that will put all of that to an end, at least in part!  What if we could shop and pay for our groceries, at least most of them, online and have them delivered to our door?  Is that possible?  How expensive would it be?  Wouldn’t you have to pay shipping?  Well, it is possible, it can be inexpensive especially if you do it in bulk, and you may be able to, in part, avoid the shipping costs!

This can be done by using Amazon.com’s grocery site!  Cool, huh?  I was poking around there and I’m finding that the prices aren’t all that bad and many things can be bought in bulk!  For many things, you may not have to pay shipping either!

In order to enjoy free shipping, the order must be over $25, the items must be “eligible” meaning you have to look for the “eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping …” next to the item price, and you have to select “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” and “Super Saver Shipping” as shipping preferences.  If you have items in there that don’t qualify, you have to pay for the shipping costs for those items, but, hey, it’s better than paying all of the cost, right?  Some items also have other free shipping offers so keep your eyes pealed!

Amazon.com makes shopping even easier by providing a “Shopping List” option!  If you have items that you purchase routinely, you can add them to your shopping list while shopping and purchase all or some of the items on the list when you check out.

Don’t even want to think about it, that’s ok because Amazon.com also has a “Subscription” service!  This means that you can set up automatic delivery schedules for the things you buy over and over.  You can schedule items to be shipped every one, two, three, or six months and enjoy special savings and free shipping for doing it!  Check out the page for more details: Amazon.com Subscribe & Save

There you have it!  If you hate shopping and are looking to save a few bucks, try out Amazon.com for your grocery needs!

Practice Touching Your Eye and Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

When I went to pick up my first pair of contacts, the training session that followed was grueling! Apparently on your first visit, they have to see you putting them in and taking them out, I guess so they know you can do it. They don’t want you stuck at home not knowing what to do and definitely don’t want you not knowing how to remove them before bed!

Well, as with any normal human being, I have a natural tendency to fear putting anything in my eye, including my own finger. The reflexes in my eyes seem to validate that fear. Combine that with putting a foreign object on the end of the finger and what we have is an hour or so of frustration.

Why do I bring up such a discussion? Well, I think there is actually a life lesson in here somewhere that we can learn. Something one of the assistants kept telling me was to “practice touching your eye.” Apparently if you get used to touching your own eye, eventually putting the contact in will become easier. As it turns out, she was right. I now can put each of my contacts in the first try! I can stick my finger in the eye as good, or better, than the next guy! Someone please be proud of me!

Anyways, I find this little piece of advice interesting because I think we can apply it to life in general. How many situations are you in where you know you should do something, or you know God is calling you to something, that is uncomfortable or even scary? We all have a comfort zone and most of us dislike stepping out of it. We like to keep things the way they are and we hate changes. I think that is natural.

However, I believe if we practice stepping out of that comfort zone, it’ll become easier. Yes, the individual things we are supposed to step out and accomplish will become easier with time, but my contention is that the very act of STEPPING OUT will become easier, too.

The assistant’s advice for me was to “practice touching your eye.” My advice to you is, practice stepping out of your comfort zone. It’ll become easier and maybe even exciting when you do!

3 Different Types of Email SPAM and What To Do About It

Photo by Sumocat on Flickr

Wikipedia defines SPAM for us:

“Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages.”

Just like almost everyone else you talk to, I hate spam.  I hate it on all fronts.  I hate getting stupid sales calls.  I hate getting popups in my web browser.  I hate junk mail and junk faxes.  And I HATE SPAM EMAIL!

I get enough email already.  I like getting email.  I get email from friends and family keeping in touch with me.  I get email notifying me of all sorts of things from new comments on Facebook to appointments I would normally miss if I hadn’t put them into my google calendar.  And, occasionally I will get an email from myself rememnding me to do something or visit some website (corny, I know).  So, I DO NOT NEED SPAM on top of everything else!

In order to rid yourself of something unwanted in life, you must first identify it, then eraticate it.  As I see it, there are actually three types of email SPAM that bug me the most often:

1. Automated, unwanted spam with a known source, like advertisements from websites you’ve given your email to while signing up for various things, like newsletters or software registration.
2. Automated, unsolicited spam with an unknown source, like those Cialis ads that come out of nowhere or bank notifications from institutions you KNOW you’ve never done business with.
3. Email forwards, like those chain letters from your Uncle Marvin who sends along those emails warning him of some pitiful fate if he doesn’t.

Once you have identified the email as SPAM and have fit it into one of these categories, now you must irraticate it!  You don’t just want to delete it!  SPAM is like a weed which if you just cut off what is above the ground, it will spring back up again and again.  Don’t forget, SPAM is like a weed!

Each category of email SPAM needs a different method of irradication.  One method will not work properly with all of them and if implimented improperly, you may cause more problems!  Here are the methods separated by category:

1. Automated, unwanted spam with a known source: I think this one is the easiest one to deal with.  Most of these have a link somewhere in the email labeled “unsubscribe.”  Just click this link.  It may require you to enter your email somewhere.  Viola!  The emails SHOULD stop, meanwhile you can always create a separate email address for online sign-ups and registrations!  WARNING!  Before clicking any links, PLEASE make sure you know where the email is coming from!  If you don’t recognize where it came from, you’re dealing with the next category of email SPAM,
2. Automated, unsolicited spam with an unknown source: This type of SPAM, I believe, is the most difficult to deal with.  It may include misleading information, or worse, a virus or a link to one!  If you don’t recognize where an email has come from, PLEASE DO NOT EVEN OPEN IT!  If you DO find you’ve opened an email from an unknown source, PLEASE do not follow any links, even an “unsubscribe” link!  The results of such actions MAY be devastating.  Just play it safe and don’t open it.  All I would do when encountered would be to hit the “mark as SPAM” button in your email program or service and let it go.  Marking it as SPAM will at least help cut down on these.
3. Email forwards: These can be tricky to deal with because usually there is a real person behind them and it usually is someone close to you.  The question is how to deal with it without hurting feelings.  You CAN “reply to all” telling them to stop spamming you or they can forget getting anything from you for Christmas next year, but that can come across as harsh, mean, or down right draconian!  We want to find a more tender way of asking them to remove them from their chain mail list.  OR you can do what I do and attempt to filter emails with “fwd” or “fw” in the subject line and send them directly to the spam or junk folder.  I did a post a while back about email forwarding (check out the update, too!)  I particularly like this option because you can enjoy an ongoing relationship with your friend or loved-one AND free your inbox from those crazy forwards.  Plus, you can always keep an eye on your junk ro spam folder to see if you missed anything important.

There you have it!  While I’m sure nothing’s fool proof, your email inbox should be looking much less cluttered!  Don’t just sit around hating SPAM, do something about it!

Track A Craigslist Category In a Feed Reader

Many people opt out of using an online want ads service like Craigslit.org citing that it may be unsafe, etc.  Point taken.  However, if you ARE one of those people who like to find deals in the wants ads and know how to practice safe browsing and dealing, then I have a tip for you!

The other day I was looking around the local craigslistings in the free and computer categories and I noticed the infamous RSS symbol at the bottom of the page.

As it turns out, if you are into keeping up with internet content via RSS, Craigslist affords you a good way of keeping an eye on your favorite categories!  Are you looking for a computer?  Subscribe to the “computers & tech” category.  Are you looking for a dinning room set?  Subscribe to the “furnature” category.

Once you subscribe using your favorite reader (I use Google Reader), all you need to do to check out the latest postings is to head to your reader and you can get a “bird’s eye” view of the latest!

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Perhaps this has been around for awhile, but I think it’s pretty cool so I thought I’d pass on the word!

“Techie” Interview Series 2 – Matt Rodela

I have not known Matt Rodela for too long.  I starting following his blog, yfncg.com, some time ago and have been enjoying learning about his business endeavors.  As you will learn in this my second “techie” interview, Matt is an Enterprise Systems Analyst and is in the process of starting his own consulting business.

Bio:

I have 7 years experience in the information technology industry, including 4 years in the US army as a trumpet player and computer technician. I have a degree in Information Systems and several technology certifications including Network+ and MCP.

Along with starting and running my part time computer consulting business, I also keep busy with my “day job” as an Enterprise Systems Analyst for a pharmaceutical company and moonlight as a singer/songwriter at http://www.mattrodela.com. I try to apply the lessons I’ve learned from my military, musical, and corporate experiences to find out-of-the-box and productive ways to achieve
success while juggling multiple creative and business opportunities.

I write about my experiences running a part-time computer consulting business on my blog http://www.yfncg.com.

I grew up in Southern California, but currently live in Maryland with my goldfish Rufus.

Do you mind being called a “techie” friend?

Not at all. I embrace my “techiness” and have earned good money from it to date!

How long have you been interested in technology or computers?

Ever since my parents bought our first family computer back in the
late 80’s! I was so fascinated by how it worked and what it could do.

Do people in your life (friends or relatives) seem to turn to you for computer related problems?

My family mostly. Most of my friends are fairly tech savvy so they
can handle things themselves!

If so, does this bother you?

Not at all. I like feeling useful and its been great practice for my business.

If someone would contact you for assistance, what kind of steps should they take before asking for help?

At least try rebooting the computer. An amazing amount of issues can be fixed by a simple reboot. Also, it doesn’t hurt to put your issue into google and see what comes up, that’s how I do half of MY OWN research anyway! Shhhh, don’t tell anyone!

Where do you see the internet in 10 years?

I see it being very transparent and ubiquitous. It will be everywhere we need it to be and it will be the place where we store all of our applications, data, and information.

Related to the last question, where do you see computers in 10 years?

I think personal computing will have nearly evaporated into the “cloud”. Instead of having a PC at home, you’ll have multiple ways to access your chunk of the cloud like cell phones, netbooks, tv’s, and even appliances.

Your opinion on:

Best OS?

They all have their own benefits. For corporations, it’s Windows. For personal use, I think OS X offers the best usability. For techies, Linux is fun to play with and offers the most flexibility.

Best Web browser?

Firefox for sure. It’s open-source nature allows it to have great plug-ins written for it. I haven’t tried Google’s Chrome browser yet, but plan on checking it out soon. IT seems to have great promise.

Best free/paid antivirus program (can include other areas such as anit-spyware and cleaning programs if you like)?

This changes so frequently it’s hard to keep up. But right now my favorite free antivirus program is AVG and my favorite paid one is Kaspersky. They both seem to strike the best balance between being safe yet un-obtrusive.

Best search engine?

There’s no question it’s google. Others have tried to offer more, but the simplicity and straightforwardness of google keeps me coming back.

What are the top 3-5 websites you visit regularly?

• www.cnet.com – To keep up-to-date with the latest trends in consumer electronics.
• www.technibble.com – To keep up-to-date with the latest trends in computer repair and consulting.
• www.pandora.com – Better than any radio station! Where I find new music based on musicians I already like. I’t always on in the background when I work on the computer at home.
• www.igoogle.com – Since I’m a google nut, I like using igoogle as a way to consolidate all of my various google applications in one place at a glance.

Thank you, Matt, for taking the time out to thoughtfully answer these questions!

How Can Cloud Computing Be Explained?

Technology and the internet has been changing dramatically in the last few years. A term that comes up often these days is “cloud computing” or “computing in the cloud.”  In fact, the topic came up with my last “techie” interview with Mark Bouchard when I asked him is opinion about the future of computers.  I found this video on YouTube helping to explain the principles behind “cloud Computing.”

One example I use is Google Docs.  Google Docs removes the need for having a word processor on your computer.  Now you can go online and do your typing and even share it with others and even collaborate on projects!

Cloud computing hasn’t totally taken over everything yet.  There are some issues that need some work including (but probably not limited to) data security, availability of bandwidth across the globe, and the ability to totally replace all local computing (for instance, there may be some features of Microsoft Word that are a little different to use in an online clone like Google Docs).

There is a possibility that cloud computing will take over how we do things and the computers we use in our homes may not need to be as robust and powerful because the computing power will be handled elsewhere.

As it turns out, if you don’t get you head INTO the clouds, you may just be left behind!

See also the post: Photo Editing From Your Browser

Contest To Kick Off 2009 – A Winner Is Announced!

Congratulations to Dan from New York!  He’s the winner of the $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com!

Contest To Kick Off 2009 – The Drawing

Well, the drawing has been done, the video recorded, and the results are in!

I will be in contact with the winner and will post more soon!  Thanks to all who participated!

Contest Ends At Midnight, 1-15-09, Eastern

The Contest To Kick Off 2009 – Win $25 Amazon Gift Card is ending at Midnight!  Those of you who havew not entered, or have not verified your subscription, you need to before Midnight, Eastern time.  I will announce the winner sometime tomorrow! 

Happy Day!

Google Gets a New Favicon!

If you haven’t noticed yet, Google has a new favicon!  It sports a colorful look with an off-center white “g” on a multi-color background.  I think that’s how I noticed it.  It kind of jumped off the screen, being something so different from what was there before.

What’s your “humble” opinion?  Do you like the layout/color/look and feel?  What should they have done differently, if anything?