Khan Academy

If you haven't heard of Khan Academy, it's an excellent teaching tool. Salman Khan started by making You Tube videos for his cousins to remotely teach them. He has tutoring videos on many subjects including calculus which you can view at no charge. He went from being a hedge fund analyst to working full time on his teaching videos at the Khan Academy with the help of Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation.

Salman Khan wants to Build a Better University and encourage the use of different teaching tools.

Hop on over to Khan Academy here

Printer Ink Cartridges

Over the years, the price of printers has decreased significantly, but at the same time, the ink cartridges have become more expensive, often more than the cost of the printer itself.

XL cartridges are advertised at printing twice as much as the regular size. I couldn't see anything on the Canon printer ink box that stated how much ink the cartridge contained or how many pages it would print. The Canon web site for the MG 2520 printer cartridge shows approximately 150-200 pages and 300-420 for the XL size. Staples shows approximately 180 pages for the regular 245 cartridge.

And don't change the cartridge as soon as you get a message showing it's empty. I've been using my printer for months after the message first appeared. If your black and color ink is fading, instead of changing both out, select blue for printing documents. Blue is the color used the least and you will get more mileage out of your color ink.

Another trick manufacturers use for using more ink is to ask you to print an alignment page. Just hit cancel if you see this message. I couldn't find any reason to do this every time I turned on the printer.

Beware of buying refilled or recycled cartridges. The ones I purchased from Office Depot, not only didn't work, but it caused a jam and consequently damage to the printer. Printer manufacturers make their money on the ink and not the printer so they don't want you to use other ink products.

Other ways you can save on ink (although not a huge difference) is to change your font to Garamond which is a smaller typeface and/or choose grayscale for printing.

Don't throw away cartridges, some places will give you store credit for returning them: Staples, Office Depot

After researching online for printer ink, Walmart still appears to be the cheapest place to purchase ink.

Free Cozy Mysteries - Rafferty and Llewellyn Series by Geraldine Evans

I'm a big fan of the English cozy mystery series Rafferty and Llewellyn by Geraldine Evans and was excited to see the Dead Before Morning e-book is currently being offered free on Amazon.

Geraldine Evans often offers free cozy mysteries so keep looking at the giveaways page on her site for more offers, or sign up for her newsletter.

Note: If you sign up for her newsletter, you will receive an e-mail with the first four books in the series free.

I highly recommend the series, Geraldine Evans is a gifted writer with just the right amount of suspense and humor for a cozy mystery.

Protect Your Social Security Number

Even with the rise in identity theft, many places ask for your social security number and personal information that they don't actually need for you to do business with them. Take a look at the Adam Levin report on Identity Theft and how to protect yourself.

Poor Mrs. Hilda Schrader Whitcher had a copy of her social security card put in every wallet her employer sold in 1938!

Tips to protect your social security number

Always ask why they need your number and if it will be protected or shared. Many places, especially doctor's offices, want you to sign a form saying you have received their privacy policy but don't give you one. Always insist on it. Don't ever sign something saying you've received a form that they haven't given you.

Amazon Fire 7 on Sale or free!

Amazon Fire 7 tablet is on sale for $39.99 with free shipping. Amazon Fire 7 is also on sale at Target and 5% off if you use a Target REDcard.

To get your tablet at no cost: Receive a $50 Amazon gift card if you are approved for a Chase/Amazon credit card and also 3% back when you use it to purchase items on Amazon.com.

Advertising Pictures - Not all are Legitimate

Sometimes advertisers use pictures to entice you to purchase their products, especially skin creams that produce unbelievable results. Often these images are stolen from legitimate companies. To see if the image has been used elsewhere you can do a simple Google search.

Right click on the online image and select copy the image URL or Copy Image Address

Select Google Images (Images.Google.com)

Click on the camera next to the search box

and insert the URL address

Only one match showed for the post on my blog, but searching for another image online with a before and after face picture brought up millions of results advertising face serum, mascara and a slew of other products.

 Note: If you use pictures on your blog or website that you don't want copied. Insert a watermark on each of them before posting.

Tax Free Week-End 2017

It's State Sales Tax Free Week-End here in Texas.

Items included that are tax free:
Clothing
Backpacks
School Supplies
Shoes (cowboy boots are exempt!)
(items have to cost under $100)

Complete list of tax free items here

Check here for dates for your state.

Note: Online suppliers are participating too.

Cut the Cable

Cable TV is becoming more and more expensive (as are internet services) but you can access most of the basic networks with an antenna and for movies, either borrow DVDs from the library or subscribe to Netflix or Hulu. (Both offer free trials.

Hop on over to Kill the Cable for cost saving ideas on cutting ties with cable.

HVAC Air Filters

The problem with comparing air filter prices is that there are so many different codes for efficiency and types of particles they trap. There are three ratings in the U.S: MERV - the industry rating system, MPR rating by 3-M that is not considered industry standard, FPR grading system used by Home Depot and Honeywell.

Make sure you change your filter frequently especially when the heating unit or air conditioner is run for long periods of time. If you have pets, you may need to change the filter more frequently that recommended. Always make a note on the filter of the date installed and mark on your calendar when you need to change it. Some thermostats will remind you when it needs changing.

Note: I found the cheapest place to purchase filters online is www.airfiltersdelivered.com and if you purchase through the Walmart web site it's less.

Gift for a Friend

Sometimes it's difficult to find a gift for a friend, but recently someone gave me a wooden letter that she had written positive things about me on. I thought it was a great way to show a friend how you really see her.

This is one that I'm currently decorating. The wooden letters are quite reasonable at Walmart or check at your local hobby store.