Daily Money Hack » House http://dailymoneyhack.com Hack the planet('s bank account) Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:56:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Tools with a Lifetime Warranty http://dailymoneyhack.com/tools-with-a-lifetime-warranty.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/tools-with-a-lifetime-warranty.htm#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:56:01 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=618 When it comes to hand tools, does it really matter if you have a top of the line titanium hammer or just a steel one that does the job? I mean it’s nice to have something fancy but when it comes down to it, what’s more important? The fanciness of the hammer or whether it can handle repeated pounding? Does it really matter if a shovel has all these features if the fiberglass handle breaks within a year?

That’s why it’s important, whenever you buy tools, to look for ones with lifetime warranties. The most famous of the lifetime warranties is Sear’s lifetime warranty on hand tools. They’ve had a lifetime, transferable warranty on their hand tools for a long time and it’s helped push them to the top of the pile when it comes to tools.

It’s so popular that many other hand tools offer a lifetime warranty as well, including many sold at Lowes. So if you’re thinking about buying some tools, do the smart thing and go for the ones with a lifetime warranty.

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/tools-with-a-lifetime-warranty.htm/feed 0 Stop Vampire Electricity Usage http://dailymoneyhack.com/stop-vampire-electricity-usage.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/stop-vampire-electricity-usage.htm#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:26:26 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=560 When you leave something plugged in and in the “standby” mode, it’s probably using electricity. It’s pretty obvious on appliances like your microwave, but it’s less obvious for appliances like your receiver, something you don’t see lit up when it’s in standby. But did you know that appliances can suck away about a hundred dollars a year in “vampire electricity” usage a year? Yep, it’s true. Lots of appliances suck up electricity when they’re in the off position and it’s because our society has fallen in love with instant gratification. I want my appliance to turn on quickly, not take some time to power up. The easiest way to tell if your appliance sucks up vampire electricity is whether it has a hard switch that goes click. Unless the circuit is broken, the appliance will suck up electricity.

Easiest way to prevent it? Plug everything into a surge protector and unplug it when you’re not using it!

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/stop-vampire-electricity-usage.htm/feed 0 Try RecycleBank http://dailymoneyhack.com/try-recyclebank.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/try-recyclebank.htm#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:29:11 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=196 RecycleBank is a new service where you can get rewarded for recycling if you happen to live in a community that supports it in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Vermont. If it’s available, you are given a cart to put your recyclables and a truck comes by to pick up your recycling. Then, you get 2.5 REcycleBank points for each pound of recyclable material that can be converted into gift cards.

Not a bad way to recycle and earn some extra cash!

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/try-recyclebank.htm/feed 1 Use Weather-Stripping to Block Drafts http://dailymoneyhack.com/use-weather-stripping-to-block-drafts.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/use-weather-stripping-to-block-drafts.htm#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:50:17 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=536 With the winter months coming up, it’s becoming increasingly important to lock down your home so that all that warmth you’re paying for doesn’t just lead out the cracks in your door and windows. The easiest way to do this is to replace the weather-strip on your old windows and doors, which some estimate can save you 15-30% on your heating bills. If you don’t want to do that, you can always put up plastic sheets and effectively “seal” the window (doors probably won’t work well with this option).

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/use-weather-stripping-to-block-drafts.htm/feed 0 Skip The Prerinse http://dailymoneyhack.com/skip-the-prerinse.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/skip-the-prerinse.htm#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:33:50 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=418 If you’re using a dishwasher, skip prerinsing your dishes. Chances are your dishwasher and the soap you use will do a perfectly fine job washing all the stuff off your plate even without the prerinse, making it a total waste of water. If you really really think it will help, just scrap off the excess rather than rinsing. It will accomplish the same goal but cost you and Mother Earth less potable water.

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/skip-the-prerinse.htm/feed 0 Free Trees & Plants http://dailymoneyhack.com/free-trees-plants.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/free-trees-plants.htm#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:57:26 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=406 How would you like to both support a business that employs disabled Americans who need jobs and saves high quality plants and trees that would otherwise get destroyed? Check out FreeTreesAndPlans.com, a small business out of Lincoln, Nebraska that does this very thing. You get free high quality plants and all you do is is pay a shipping and processing cost that covers their operational costs. Check out their about page to learn more about them.

Every year millions of healthy high-quality plants go unsold and are destroyed.

They go to the dump,
They get plowed under,
They get burned or buried.

It’s a huge waste.

They come from the very same growers that supply many of the most famous garden catalogs. I know because I’m an avid gardener and horticultural photographer. I’ve taken a lot of the photos you see in many of those same catalogs.

I also strongly support the sheltered workshop movement. Hundreds-of-thousands of workers with disabilities find meaningful jobs in workshops all across the country.

The ongoing problem is to find work to be done.

We started this web site to help solve both problems. We find unsold nursery stock and have it packaged by sheltered workshops.

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/free-trees-plants.htm/feed 0 How To Get Rid of Ants! http://dailymoneyhack.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ants.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ants.htm#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:03:30 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=379 Ants are insidious, they come through the smallest of cracks and seem to come with all of their friends. Lately I’ve been having some nats problems so I scoured the web to find out what exactly was the best way to get rid of ants. It turns out that the best way is to mix some borax with sugar for an anti-busting cocktail that they can’t seem to get enough of.

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ants.htm/feed 0 Turn Off Your Computer http://dailymoneyhack.com/turn-off-your-computer.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/turn-off-your-computer.htm#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:14:51 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=365 If you don’t use your computer at night or during the day, shut the little power sucker off. I know it might be an inconvenience to have to wait to turn it back on in the morning or after you wake up in the morning, but you can save yourself some money by putting the little bugger to sleep when you do. With rising energy prices, shutting off all the unnecessary power drains from your house is the easiest way to save money, use less power, and have as little impact on your life as possible.

If shutting it off isn’t something that appeals to you, consider hibernation mode (where your computer can snap awake in a few seconds) or shutting off your monitor (you won’t be looking at it!).

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/turn-off-your-computer.htm/feed 0 Go With a Low-Flow Toilet http://dailymoneyhack.com/go-with-a-low-flow-toilet.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/go-with-a-low-flow-toilet.htm#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:12:31 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=361 Want to save yourself and the world about four thousand gallons of fresh drinkable water? Go with a low-flow toilet. Conserving water isn’t exactly the sexiest thing on the planet and it won’t save you a ton of cash, but drinkable water is one of our planet’s more precious resources. Installing a low-flow toilet won’t affect your life one bit, but it will affect the lives of your children and your children’s children.

If you don’t want to go through the expense of installing a new toilet or buying a new one, you can always just put a brick in your tank so it holds less water. Be careful when you “install” the brick (or a bag of sand, or whatever you choose), because a busted tank can be very very messy.

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/go-with-a-low-flow-toilet.htm/feed 0 Don’t Overload The Dryer http://dailymoneyhack.com/dont-overload-the-dryer.htm http://dailymoneyhack.com/dont-overload-the-dryer.htm#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:40:24 +0000 DMH http://dailymoneyhack.com/?p=358 One of our natural inclinations when we try to save money is to do more with less. When it comes to clothes dryers, it means we try to pack in more clothes. Unfortunately, the more you pack into a dryer, the longer it takes and the more energy in consumes.

The clothes dryer relies on circulating the air and sucking out moist air, replacing it with dry air. The constant removal of moisture and the heat works to dry the clothes out. When you pack in too much clothes, there’s less air circulation and the process takes longer. So the next time you go to dry your clothes, don’t jam everything in there or you’ll find it takes forever to dry.

Or, even better, skip the dryer and air dry your clothes. (if you’re not that green, consider air drying all the heavy damp stuff like towels, and leaving the lighter stuff in the dryer)

]]> http://dailymoneyhack.com/dont-overload-the-dryer.htm/feed 0