Bankrate.com has put together a helpful list
of over 100 eco-friendly tips, many of which are also easy on the wallet. The ideas are grouped in eight broad categories, each of which is further grouped by "quick fixes," "short-term," and "long-term." For example, under the category of "Leisure & entertainment," a quick fix idea is to order tap water in restaurants instead of bottled water. It's less expensive and it'll help cut down on the millions of tons of plastic and glass bottles that end up in landfills every day. A recommended long-term solution is to use a non-motorized reel mower to cut your lawn.
Matt's View
As the owner of a reel mower, I'm not sure that using it counts as leisure or entertainment. Nor can I say that it cuts as well as a mower with a motor. However, it's a good workout, creates no air or noise pollution, and comes with no gasoline expense. Look through the Bankrate.com list. You'll see some familiar ideas, but you'll also probably find some that you haven't tried before.
When's the last time you took a bus for an out-of-town trip? With airline ticket prices on the rise and some airlines now charging for luggage, several bus lines are trying to win new business with upgraded vehicles, low prices, and high-tech amenities like free Wi-Fi. The financial blog Walletpop
highlighted BoltBus
(a subsidiary of Greyhound that serves New York City, Washington, DC, Boston, and Philadelphia), Chinatown Bus Lines
(operates on the east coast), and MegaBus
(operates in 15 states and Toronto). Two other advantages to bus travel: no extra charges for luggage and you can use your cell phone.
Matt's View
I haven't tried any of these bus lines, but am considering giving MegaBus a try. If you book early, it offers one-way fares for as little as $1.
By now you've seen the commercial in which Todd Davis gives you his Social Security number. He's one of the founders of LifeLock, a company that offers to protect you from identity theft for a monthly fee of about $10. A New York Times article noted that while the company has lined up more than 1 million customers, it has also attracted the scrutiny of the legal community. One state has accused LifeLock of selling insurance without proper certification, and class-action lawyers have filed lawsuits charging deceptive business practices and fraudulent advertising. The article noted that one service offered by the company, placing a 90-day fraud alert with the three main credit bureaus, is something everyone can do on their own for free.
Matt's View
I'm not a fan of paying for credit monitoring or identity theft insurance. While the pain of becoming a victim of identity theft, especially when your Social Security number is used to open new accounts in your name, is significant, the chances of becoming a victim are very small. And there are relatively simple steps we can all take to protect ourselves. For a good summary of those steps, take the free online test
mentioned in the New York Times article.
Craigslist
has enjoyed a virtual monopoly in the free online classified ad industry. However, Time magazine reports that there are now two competitors-- Kijiji
(the Swahili word for "village") and Oodle
. Both are trying to steal share from Craigslist by making their sites easier to navigate. Oodle puts a Google map next to each listing so you can pinpoint where the item is available. It also provides information on how the price of an item compares to similar items offered on the site over the past few months, and mobile alerts are available to buyers that let them know when an item they're looking for becomes available. Kijiji, which is owned by eBay, has focused on making it easier to refine searches.
Matt's View
I have bought and sold several items through Craigslist and am a fan of the service. While the Time article made a good point in stating that there has been "a stunning lack of innovation in classifieds," for now Craigslist appears to have a big advantage over these upstarts--a lot more cities, a lot more listings, and even more accuracy. For example, when I searched for a "drafting table" in the Chicago area on all three services, Craigslist generated 25 listings, Oodle oddly offered up a job posting for a paralegal, and Kijiji came up with one listing. When I entered "Radio Flyer," Craigslist showed 47 listings, Oodle had two, and Kijiji came up with just one. But stay tuned--the new sites are likely to improve and grow.
