Saturday, June 30, 2007

Save the Smelly Carpet!


This carpet (approximately 7.5' x 5') needs a new home.

By using the adjective "smelly" in the headline of this post, I don't intend to say that the carpet totally stinks... However if one just happens to put one's face close to said carpet, one may detect a slight musty odor that might not rank in one's top 10 list of favorite smells of all time.

But does this carpet's unappealing odor require it to be banished to the dumpster? Say it ain't so!

There are all sorts of possible ways this carpet could be put to good use, including:

  • Use it to provide a little extra padding in the bed of that brand new pickup you just purchased.
  • Or put it in the garage to create a more comfortable place for your new puppy to hang out.
  • Or spray paint it red, so you'll have the appropriate gear handy next time royalty drops by.

The clock is ticking... who will save the smelly carpet?

First one to leave a comment claiming it, gets it. Free delivery for Sacramento residents only.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Piper for $5

This Wednesday and Thursday (June 27-28) Desiring God Ministries is offering all books by John Piper for only $5 each. If you haven't read anything by Piper before, this is a great opportunity to check him out.

As part of my Friday morning Bible study, we've read Desiring God and are currently reading Let the Nations be Glad! I highly recommend both.

If you've read any books by Piper that you would recommend, please feel free to leave a comment.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

R.I.P. Sentra

Some of you may remember our old non-air conditioned Nissan Sentra, which Christina used to drive from Colorado to California in 100 degree weather to get to college (and important events like Rodney and Stacy's wedding).

Once we got married and bought the air-conditioned Corolla, the Sentra became my commute vehicle.

Then, just last year, after we bought the minivan, we pawned off the old Sentra on our good friend Andy who lives down the street and attends the same church as us.

Well, I'm sorry to report that the old Sentra may have at last met its demise. But it was in dramatic fashion, at the hands of a drunk driver. Thankfully, no one was hurt. This trusty old vehicle may have even saved someone's life by stopping a dangerous drunk driver in her tracks.

Read all about it and see photos at the Home-schooled Nerd.

Monday, June 18, 2007

$25 Sign-Up Bonus at Prosper.com

Perhaps the 5% return you're making in your high-yield savings account (See "Is Your Bank Robbing You?") is a wee bit too conservative for your taste. You'd prefer to try something a bit more aggressive for a chance at higher returns.

But let's say you don't want to tie your money up in a good long-term investment like a 401K or Roth IRA, since you might be working with a shorter time horizon before you need the money for something like a new car or a downpayment on a house.

You could lock your money up in CDs. Or you could throw it into the stock market and hope for the best. There are, of course, many, many options.

One option you might want to consider is Prosper.com. Here you can lend your money in $50 increments to borrowers for potential annual returns of anywhere from 8% to 12% to 15% to 18% -- you get to pick. Of course, there is some risk that the borrower won't pay you back. But if that happens, rest assured that Prosper at least will send a collection agency after them.

Christina and I have made quite a few loans on Prosper and so far have been very pleased with the way the web site works. Since the loans are 3 years in length, we won't know for some time what our final return will be, but we have a pretty good sense that we'll be doing much better than 5%.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, now might be a good time to check it out. Prosper is currently offering a $25 sign-up bonus for first-time lenders who register and fund a loan within 90 days.

The minimum bid to fund a loan is $50, so this could be an easy 50% return on that money plus whatever you make off the loan. (If you'd like us to get credit for referring you, please use the links in this post or the right sidebar when you sign up.)

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Friday, June 8, 2007

Christianaudio.com: Free Audiobook of the Month

Did you know that Christianaudio.com offers a free MP3 audiobook download each month? Here's the relevant info for this month's deal:

Free Audiobook of the Month - Best of Jonathan Edwards Sermons The Jonathan Edwards trilogy includes three of the most important sermons ever preached on American soil. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is maybe the most important and well-known sermon of his, but also included is A Divine and Supernatural Light describing and illuminating what Edwards describes as a supernatural light imparted by God. His farewell sermon was given in June of 1750 and is a commendation to those who are in the Lord's service, a plea to maintain unity, avoid dissension and false doctrine, and a call to devote themselves to prayer.

Use coupon code: JUN2007 to redeem the download format of this audiobook for free during the month of June.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Subscribe to Our Blog

You can now subscribe to receive our new blog posts by e-mail using this link or the form we've added on the right side of our blog.

Alternatively, if you already receive too much clutter in your inbox and can't bear the thought of adding even more to it, you should definitely try using a feed reader like Google Reader or Bloglines. Ever since Rodney taught me how to use one of these, I've found them extremely helpful in keeping up on the newly published content from the blogs and web sites I try to follow.

Now you all will have no excuse to miss future baby announcements, when and if they might occur.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

What's in your wallet?

Several months ago, I explored high-interest savings accounts in a post titled, Is your bank robbing you?"

Perhaps today's post could be alternatively titled, "Is your credit card company robbing you?" As we all know, many credit card companies charge exorbitant interest rates. But if you don't carry a balance from month-to-month, those interest rates won't hurt you.

Credit card companies also charge merchants fees every time you use your credit card to buy something. The credit card company, therefore, has a financial interest in getting you to use their card instead of the one offered by their competitor.

Rather than thinking in terms of what we must pay to have a certain credit card, we should be thinking in terms of what the credit card will pay us to use it. Many credit cards offer cash-back, airlines miles, or other rewards just for using that credit card to make your purchases. Therefore, if you're not getting one of these benefits when you use your credit card, you are probably getting robbed.

There are many other options available too. Excellent resources for comparing available credit card are available at CreditCards.com and Nerd Wallet.

NOTE: If you already have a credit card that is not giving you cash-back or rewards, you may be able to call the 1-800 customer service number and simply have the card switched over to one that does give cash-back or other rewards.

Revised 11/30/14