SlimCleaner: Speed up Your Computer for Free!

SlimCleaner: Free Computer Speed Up!

See below for link to download SlimCleaner for free from Slimware Utilities...

Use SlimCleaner to Speed Up Your Computer for Free!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

For years, I have used Norton Utilities to keep my computer tuned up.  My son's Windows 7 laptop was running very slowly and I had a chance to work on it.  I considered spending about $50 for Norton Utilities, but decide to check out free utilities to see what could be done for free to speed up my computer.

You Can Download SlimCleaner for Free
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I came upon a free program called SlimClean from Slimware Utilities.  SlimClean has several tools to speed up your PC by deleting extra files and software that seems to get installed whenever you download something. SlimClean also optimizes start-up programs and Windows services to speed up your computer.  SlimClean uses feedback from users to help determine which services and programs are not needed.

SlimClean also has disk tools including a disk defragmentation tool and disk wiping tools, and tools to find and eliminate duplicate files.  Other tools include the ability to review all of your browsers and remove unwanted toolbars.  This can make web browsers run much faster.  You can also scan for "hijack" threats based on input from users on the web to help identify malicious files.

SlimCleaner Start-up Screen
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

How to Use SlimCleaner to Speed Up Your Computer

When you launch SlimCleaner, it automatically updates the software to the latest version and offers you an button that says "Analyze".  When you click this, SlimCleaner will search your hard drive for unneeded files including cookies and temporary files.  Next, you are offered a chance to defragment your hard drive.  This is a process that places files near each other on the hard disk, reducing access time and allowing your computer to run faster.

You can select the Optimize menu and review community ratings for drivers and plug-ins that are installed and decide whether to delete them.

SlimCleaner Optimization Menu
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The Software menu provides a list of all of your installed software along with community ratings of each of the software items so you can decide which to keep and which to delete.

The Browsers menu shows all of your installed web browsers and allows you to easily uninstall  unneeded toolbars to speed up your web browser.  The toolbars have community ratings to help you decide which are useful and which to delete.

The Disk Tools menu allows you to analyze your disk drives, find and remove duplicate files, and wipe data from drives.

The Windows Tools menu provides access to built-in Windows tools to speed up your computer such as Windows Update, the Services Monitor, Performance Monitor, etc.

The Hijack Log menu scans your computer for plugins and other software that could hijack your system and provides community ratings to help you decide what to keep and what to delete.

How to Get SlimCleaner for Free

I tried out SlimCleaner on my son's computer and was impressed enough to run it on my own computer as well.  It did make the boot-up time significantly shorter and does seem to make my computer run faster.

If you want to try SlimCleaner for free, here's the link to download from Slimware Utilities website  https://www.slimwareutilities.com/slimcleaner.php:
Free SlimCleaner Download


Recommended Reading:
Free Malware Scan Software to Speed Up Your Computer
How to Speed Up Windows 7 using Windows utilities
How to use a USB memory stick to Speed Up Windows Vista and Windows 7 with ReadyBoost

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

New Car Smell- Use an Air Purifier in Your Car

Use an Air Purifier in Your Car- Get That New Car Smell

Today I used my Shop Vac to vacuum out the grime that had accumulated in my car over the winter.  I also used some Lemon Pledge furniture cleaner to clean the dashboard and plastic trim.  I was out of Armor All, and the Lemon Pledge worked great.

When I was done, my car was pretty clean inside, but it didn't smell clean.  My dogs enjoy going for rides, and my car smelled sort of doggy and stale, and a bit lemony from the Lemon Pledge spray.

I decided to bring out the big gun.  I just got a New Comfort 6 stage air purifier for my house.  It has 6 stages of filtration and can handle a 3,000 square foot area.  I decided to use this in my car.  I cracked the window just enough to get an extension cord in.

How to Use an Air Purifier in Your Car- Run an Extension Cord Through the Window
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Next, I folded down the back seat so the air from the trunk could circulate as well and turned it on high.

Home Air Purifier Running in the Back Seat of My Car
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Get the New Car Smell Using an Air Purifier

The best way to address odors is to eliminate the source of the odor.  I vacuumed all of the fur and dust that I could, and got rid of some winter mittens and other gear that can hold odor.  Running the air purifier will remove odors from the air using its charcoal filter and some of the other filters as well.  As odor is released, the air purifier absorbs it and over time the source of the odor is exhausted.

Of course, you can buy an air freshener for your car for a couple bucks, but the chemical smell gives me headaches.  I wanted my air to actually be clean, so I cleaned it using my house air purifier.

Use an Air Purifier to Get that New Car Smell
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

If your car has cigarette odor, you can use the ozone setting on an air purifier.  I did not use the ozone production on mine- ozone is hazardous and can damage plastic parts.

You can learn more about the New Comfort air purifier here.  This air purifier moves a lot of air and has filter stages that remove pollen, dust, germs and odors from your air.  This air purifier even has a UV light that kills viruses and bacteria.

Air Purifier for Cars

If you want to purify the air in your car all the time when you are driving, you can get air purifiers for cars that run on 12V power.  Some of these filters have features similar to home air filters, but are smaller and have less air circulation capacity.

What is the New Car Smell?  Is it Toxic?

The "new car smell" in a new car is actually the smell of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds off gassing from the upholstery, glues, and plastic materials in the new car.  People think of the new car smell as a good thing since it is associated with new cars, but it is not very healthy to breathe.  If you have a new car- or a new house-you might want to use an air purifier to absorb the harmful chemicals or leave your windows down to let that new car smell air out.

Recommended Reading:
The Sales Pitch: How to Sell Anything is an article about how a great sales pitch can get people to buy things they don't need and can't afford.  How do great salesmen get you to buy things?

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Is Remodeling A Good Investment?

Should I Remodel my Kitchen and Bathroom?

Dear Dr. Penny Pincher,

Our house was built in 1912. The kitchen and bathrooms are dated and probably need updating.  For example the kitchen countertops are circa 1980. The bathrooms were updated about the same time.  Both areas are acceptable functionally and aesthetically. Due to our age we will probably sell the house and move to and apartment or condo in the future. Should we consider doing updates to enhance the value and selling potential of the house or leave both areas as they are?  What are other considerations in this decision?

Sincerely,
A Penny Pincher Follower



Dear Follower,

It is always painful to spend money, but it is less painful when you know you can get some or all of your money back.  Real estate is generally a good investment, but a real estate investment comes with expenses such as paying property taxes and upkeep on the property.

The good news about kitchen and bath remodeling projects is that you typically get about 50 to 70% of the money you spend on remodeling back in the form of increased property value.  For example, if you spend $10,000 on kitchen and bath upgrades you may be able to sell your home for $5,000 to $7,000 more.  As you can see, you do not typically get all of the money you spend on remodeling back.

Kitchen and bath remodeling are among the highest payback projects that you can do.  If you have the money, remodeling projects can be rewarding and can help you stay in your current house longer.  When you sell your house, you'll likely pay around 6% commission to a real estate agent.  It may be worth spending some money to avoid that expense.  This article has some estimates of how much different remodeling projects add to the value of your home.  I think some of these numbers seem a bit high, but this provides an idea of what type of projects add the most value.

While a good remodeling project can increase the value of a home, a poorly done project or unfinished project can decrease the value of a home.  A lot of potential home buyers will not even consider buying a house that needs work done.  

I would suggest setting a budget for your remodeling project and trying to get the most improvement you can for your budget.  It is a good idea to get estimates from several contractors and pick one with good references.

Good Luck!
DPP

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Whole House Air Purifier: New Comfort with HEPA, UV, Ozone, Charcoal, and More

Whole House Air Purifier

New Comfort Whole House Air Purifier with 6 Stages of Filtration
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I have kids and pets in my household, and became interested in an air purifier after a Rainbow Vacuum demonstration.  One of the great things about a Rainbow vacuum cleaner is that it can function as an air purifier as well.  I already had a vacuum cleaner, and I learned that you can get high quality whole house air purifiers for much less than the cost of a Rainbow vacuum- $2,300 for a new one!

I found a great whole house air purifier for under $200.  It has 6 stages of filtration- much more than the 2 stages that a Rainbow vacuum offers.  Unlike the air purifiers that I found at the local Target store, the New Comfort air purifier can handle a much larger space.  The ones at the store could handle a few hundred square feet and cost between $150 to $200.  The New Comfort handles 3,000 square feet.  This will easily cover my entire house.  The unit weighs about 12 pounds and stands about 1 foot tall.  I got the black model, but it is also available with a real wood case or with a clear case.

New Comfort 6 Stage Air Purifier

The New Comfort air purifier has the following stages of filtration to remove dust, allergens, and odors:

• HEPA filter- removes dust and particulates.  The HEPA filter is washable!
• UV light- kills germs, bacteria, and viruses
• Ozone generator- ozone can remove odors, but I don't plan to use it.  More on ozone later...
• Photo-catalytic filter- removes mold spores, odors, and bacteria
• Charcoal filter- removes odors
• Negative Ion filtration- removes pollen and allergens

New Comfort Air Purifier- Filters Are Easily Accessible in the Back.
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The New Comfort air purifier can move a lot of air through these stages of filtration.  The unit has a control knob to control the fan speed from low to high speed.  At the high setting, the New Comfort can circulate enough air to handle a 3,000 square foot space.

Is Ozone Safe in an Air Purifier?

One selling point of the New Comfort air purifier is that it has a knob that allows you to easily turn the ozone production completely off.  I mentioned above that I was not planning to use the ozone generation capability of the air purifier.  Here's why:

Some people claim that ozone is great for removing odors from air and makes air smell fresh and clean like outdoor air.  However, ozone is one of the key components in smog and is known to cause respiratory issues.  Even the product documentation says that ozone is to be used in "uninhabited space".  Ozone has a half life of about 30 minutes, so if you use ozone I would treat it like a hazardous substance- minimize your exposure to it.   Here is a link to a fact sheet produced by the Connecticut Department of Public Health that describes the hazard of using ozone from air purifiers.

The New Comfort air purifier does have a knob to control the ozone generation from low to high and to turn the ozone generation completely off.  If I ever sell my air purifier, having the ozone generation capability will increase its resale value.  I recommend that you do some research before you decide to use ozone generation, starting with the link above.

Whole House Air Purifier- Test Drive

I received my New Comfort 6 stage air purifier today and set it up immediately.  I plan to move it from my upstairs to my downstairs occasionally.  It was easy to set up and get running.  The filters are easily accessible and removable for cleaning or replacement.

The controls are simple:  there is a power switch on the back of the unit, and 2 knobs on the front of the unit.  There is a knob to control ozone- I plan to leave this one in the off position.  The second knob controls the fan speed.  The fan noise increases at higher fan speeds.  I plan to use the low or medium fan speed most of the time.  A green light indicates when the fan is on, and a red light indicates when ozone generation is on.

My house smells fresher already, and I am looking forward to breathing less dust and germs.  If you have issues with odors, dust, or allergies in your house, the New Comfort 6 stage air purifier should make a big improvement in your indoor air quality.




Recommended Reading:
The Sales Pitch: How to Sell Anything is an article that describes the sales pitch for a Rainbow Vacuum in detail.

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Rainbow Vacuum: Find the Cheapest Rainbow Vacuum Price

Rainbow Vacuum Price

If you have had the sales pitch from a Rainbow Vacuum distributor and are looking for a cheaper way to get a Rainbow, you are in the right place!

I had the sales pitch last week- it was very impressive.  A young lady came to my house and gave a demo of the Rainbow air purifier and Rainbow vacuum.  The Rainbow uses a water tank as its filter.  You don't need any bags or filters- you just dump the water and replace it with tap water.  The air purifier function seems to work great.  You can run the motor at low speed or high speed, and it does make air smell fresh like air outside after a rain shower.  Scent oils are also provided if you want a scent such as vanilla, cinnamon, or others.  My favorite was the unscented water.

The Rainbow vacuum demonstration was even more impressive.  You can read details of how the Rainbow sales pitch worked in this article.

The clear conclusion was the the Rainbow does a much better job of cleaning than our cheap $80 Hoover upright vacuum.  But the Rainbow costs $2,300.  I liked everything about the Rainbow except the price tag.  I was expecting a "but wait, there's more" sort of offer with a lower price, but it never came.

We were offered a chance to apply for credit and pay $80 a month, but the price for the Rainbow vacuum was still $2,300.  We were also offered a chance to demonstrate Rainbow vacuums and get ours for free if we sold enough.  I didn't like any of these options, but I still liked the Rainbow vacuum.  Is there a cheaper way to get a Rainbow vacuum?

How to Get a Cheap Rainbow Vacuum

The manufacturer of Rainbow, Rexair, appears to only distribute new Rainbows through their distributors.  As you may have gathered, the distribution arrangement is a multi-level marketing organization.  You can make money selling Rainbow vacuums and also by recruiting others to sell Rainbow vacuums and getting a percentage of their sales.  That's all fine as long as I can get a cheap Rainbow...

Fortunately, there are plenty of used Rainbows for sale on eBay and amazon.  The upside of buying a used Rainbow is the low price.  The downside is that you will not get a warranty from the manufacturer and the condition of used vacuums can vary quite a bit.  Another issue is there are several models of used Rainbow vacuums for sale- you'll need to be careful to ensure you get the one you really want.

I said above that used Rainbows do not have a manufacturer's warranty.  You can find some used Rainbows sold by vacuum shops that have a warranty from the shop, which is certainly better than no warranty at all.  Many used vacuums are sold "as is" and some even state "no returns".

How much can you save buying a used Rainbow?  The answer depends on what model you buy, but you can get a used Rainbow with a shop warranty for around $400- a savings of around $2,000!  If you want the cleaning performance of a Rainbow vacuum without the high price, there are some good opportunities to find a used Rainbow that will last for many years.

Rainbow Vacuum Models and Prices

Rainbow E2 E4 Black Model
The fancy new model that we saw at the in-home demonstration is called an E2 E4.  This model has the two speed brushless motor and LED lighting on the water tank and on the power vacuum head.  The 2-speed motor allows the air purifier function to run quietly.  A HEPA filter after the water filter removes small particles.  These are still expensive on eBay, selling for over $1,500.

Rainbow E2 Black Model 12
The Black E2 released in 2011 introduced the 5 wheel dolly design and it also has LED lighing for the water tank.  The 2-speed brushless motor allows the air purifier function to run quietly.  A HEPA filter after the water filter removes small particles.  These are still expensive on eBay, over $1,000.

Rainbow E2 2-speed Models
The 2-speed Rainbow models were first introduced in 2003.  The 2-speed motor allows the air purifier function to run quietly  A HEPA filter after the water filter removes small particles..  The Rainbow 2-speed models have a brushless motor.  There are a couple variants of the Rainbow 2-speed models: the Gold model and the Blue model.  The Gold model was released first and the Blue model (2008-2011) adds some sound absorbing material around the motor to make it quieter.  You can get the Rainbow E2 Gold 2-speed for around $500 on eBay.

Rainbow E Series E2 (1-speed) Model
The E Series was introduced in 1998.  The older E series models of Rainbow vacuums used a 1 speed motor with brushes.  These models do not have a slower- and quieter- speed for air purification.  These Rainbows are either on or off.  This was the model that added the HEPA filter in addition to the water filter.  This is useful for filtering small particles that make it through the water filter.  The Rainbow E series 1 speed models are great vacuum cleaners and sell for around $400 on eBay.

All of the Rainbow E Models above move 80 cubic feet of air per minute and have a HEPA filter in addition to the water filter.

If you are willing to look older models more than 15 years old, you can get a Rainbow vacuum cleaner for under $300.  Here are the older Rainbow Vacuum models:

Rainbow SE / SE PN2 Model
This model added the electrical cord inside the hose to power accessories.  The SE is the first model that can use a RainbowMate, which is a powered upholstery cleaning accessory.

Rainbow D4 Model
The D4 has more power than older models and is considered a reliable vacuum cleaner with relatively simple design.

The D4 and SE Rainbows move 72 cubic feet of air per minute.

Rainbow D3 Model
The D3 was made in the 1980's.  I would be concerned about reliability and availability of replacement parts in a model this old.

The D3 moves air at 67 cubic feet per minute.

Which is the Best Model of Rainbow?

I have decided to look at E2 models.  These all have the HEPA filter added in addition to the water filter, have more power than older models, and are relatively new which should increase their life expectancy.  At first I was considering the 1-speed model since these can be purchased for around $400, but I do like the idea of being able to run the unit quietly as an air purifier.  So now I am focusing on E2 2-speed models.  The 2-speed models feature brushless motors which should last a very long time.

Cheap Rainbow Vacuums on eBay

Start here to find cheap Rainbow Vacuums on eBay:

Cheap Rainbow Vacuums on amazon

Start here to find cheap Rainbow Vacuums on amazon:

Cheap Rainbow Vacuums on craigslist

I did not have much luck finding Rainbow vacuums for sale on craigslist in my area.  There were a couple for sale, but one was $2,100 and the other was $1,400.  Both of these prices were much higher than similar ones on eBay or amazon, and there were only two available for sale on craigslist.

Recommended Reading:
The Sales Pitch: How to Sell Anything is an article that describes the sales pitch for a Rainbow Vacuum in detail.

If you want a great whole house air purifier that is much less expensive than a Rainbow, check out this New Comfort air purifier

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Cranberry Juice vs Cranberry Juice Cocktail

Cranberry Juice Cocktail Drink- Is This What I Want?

Today I really wanted some cranberry juice.  I went to the grocery store to get some and found some Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail for sale in 15.2 oz. bottles.  This was near the cold bottles of soda and other 16 to 20 oz bottles of juice, bottled water, and sports drinks for sale.  The price for 15.2 oz of cranberry drink was $1.49.  Since I really wanted some cranberry juice, I was willing to pay that much.

I did notice the word "drink" on the bottle, so I realized that it would not be 100% cranberry juice.  I was willing to accept a blend of perhaps cranberry and grape juice to sweeten it up a bit.  That would still be pretty good.  Upon further inspection of the bottle, I found the words: "Contains 15% fruit juice".  This no longer seemed like a good deal- $1.49 for tap water plus high fructose corn syrup plus a little bit of fruit juice.  I bet the 15% fruit juice in the juice cocktail was mostly apple juice anyway!  Why is "juice drink" so expensive?

This Cranberry Drink Cocktail is only 15% juice and costs $1.49 for 15.2 oz!  There must be a better deal...
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Can I Get 100% Juice Instead of 15% Juice Cocktail?

This Cranberry Juice Blend is 100% Juice with No Added Sugar
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I went to the aisle where the larger containers of fruit juice were sold.  I found a 60 oz container of Ocean Spray 100% juice with no sugar added for $4.50.  This is a blend of four juices including cranberry juice, apple juice, and pear juice.  My first reaction was that $4.50 was more than I wanted to spend to get some cranberry juice.  But I quickly realized that the 100% juice was actually less expensive than the 15% juice cocktail if you look at the price per ounce.

I decided to get the larger container of 100% juice with cranberry juice listed as the first ingredient.  It was great stuff!  Sometimes it pays to read the label closely and understand what you are getting for your money.  You can find 100% juice, but you may need to buy a larger container than the convenient 15.2 oz bottles.

Getting More Juice For Your Money

The smaller bottle of juice cocktail would have been more convenient and less expensive, but the larger bottle was much higher quality and the price per ounce was the same as the cheap sugar water drink.  I am sure the drink makers like to produce bottles of juice cocktail that cost almost nothing to make and sell them for $1.49.  This must be almost pure profit!

Bottles of "juice" may only contain 15% fruit juice- check the label before buying!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I think 100% juice is a great deal- you can get it for the same price per ounce as the watered down juice cocktail that contains only 15% juice.  You may want to pour it into smaller containers yourself to send for lunches and to conveniently take with you.  Nothing tastes quite like cranberry juice, and it tastes better knowing it is 100% juice with no added sugar.

Penny Pinching Tips:

• Check the label on your "juice" to see how much juice you are actually getting
• Buy larger containers of 100% juice and pour it into smaller containers yourself to save money

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Midas Coupons and Discounts- I Saved $40 Today!

Midas Coupons- Save Money on Vehicle Maintenance

I took my good old Civic into Midas today to replace the alternator serpentine belts and get an oil change and tire rotation.  I had been warned a few months ago at my last oil change about the condition of the serpentine belts, and decided to get this taken care of today since I had some Midas coupons.

Use Midas Coupons to Save Money on Car Repairs
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I had a $5 coupon on an oil change and a $10 coupon for service over $50.  Midas happened to be running a special on oil changes, so I got an additional $4.07 off the bill for the oil change.  Plus they have a special on tire rotation, so I got a $20 tire rotation for free.  This brought my total savings off of my bill to just under $40.

Midas Coupons are Worth Finding
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Where to Get Midas Coupons

I got my coupons in the mail since I am on the Midas mailing list.  You can also get Midas coupons for free from the Midas website (http://www.midas.com/coupons.aspx).  I have found the managers at the Midas shops I visit to be helpful at helping find discounts and coupons and also to sort out which repairs are more urgent and which can wait.

It's Great to Save at Midas with Coupons!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

All vehicles need maintenance sometimes.  You might as well round up your best coupons and save money on your vehicle service bill.  My bill today was $40 less than it would have been without Midas coupons and discounts.

Recommended Reading:
Best Value Car Maintenance and Auto Repair Tips
Synthetic Oil vs Regular Oil

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Peel and Stick Floor Tile: Nail Heads Coming Through

Peel and Stick Floor Tile: Nail Heads Coming Through

Dear  Dr. Penny Pincher,

Our bathroom floor has stick on tiles that were installed probably 10 of 15 years ago.  Apparently they were installed directly onto the hardwood floor. Recently (this past year) several nail heads are appearing to raise up through the tile although none have penetrated the tile. Just the outline of the nail head can be seen.

What solution do you recommend to solve this nailhead problem short of installing a new floor.

Sincerely,

A True Penny Pincher Advocate


Dear Advocate,

The easiest and least expensive option would be to use low wattage (or low lumen) light bulbs in the bathroom so the floor problems would be less apparent.  Plus this will save you money on electricity...

Another cheap option may be to put a small washable bathroom rug over the problem area.  You can buy bathroom rugs for a few dollars at Target or Walmart.  If the area is too big to cover with a rug, you could use a couple rugs, or use one very brightly colored rug to draw attention away from the problem.

If you are willing to put some work in, you could try to set the nails through the tiles, perhaps using a hammer and block of wood to avoid damaging the tiles.  Stick-on tiles this old are probably pretty brittle, so it would be easy to damage them.

Another cheap option would be to use a nailset to set the nails right through the floor tiles.  This would make a dimple at the spot of each nail head.  After setting all of the nails that are coming through, use the nailset to make a pattern of dimples across the entire floor, sort of like a punched tin ceiling.  I would try a random pattern.  This would set the nails and may look like an intentional pattern on the floor.

Good luck!
DPP

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

Are Expensive Jeans Better Than Cheap Jeans?

Are Expensive Jeans Better Than Cheap Jeans?

I had some Kohl's cash available today, so I went with my family to get a dress shirt for my son.  My son was sharing a dress shirt with his brother, and let's just say that doesn't work well when both have events around the same time.

While I was at Kohl's, I decided to check out some jeans for me.  The last time I bought jeans was in 2009, 5 years ago.  There was a clearance sale at K-mart, and I bought 4 pairs of Wrangler Jeans for $8 each.  I also got a pair of Levis for $13.  The Levis are nice and made out of sturdy denim, but are not the popular style like the 501 or 505 that most people think of when they hear "Levis".  These Levis were a low-cost version to compete at the lower end of the market and don't really look like Levis at all.

Expensive Jeans for Sale
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Kohl's had a sale going on a store brand of jeans: buy one for $55, get one free.  This works out to $27.50 per pair, which isn't too bad I guess.  But I was interested in Levis.  The last time I had a "real" pair of Levis was in the early 2000's about 15 years ago.  I walked over to the Levis, which were in a separate area of the store, and found all kinds of Levis styles.  I pulled out a pair of 34W 34L 505's and was hit with sticker shock- $58.

Real Levis!

Why Do People Buy Expensive Jeans Instead of Cheap Jeans?

The $58 price tag got me thinking about how much it costs to make jeans.  If Wrangler can make a pair of denim jeans that sells for $8 why are Levis 7x the price?  The answer is simple- because people will pay it.

Levis are perceived as a quality product
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

People like Levis and enough people value having a real pair of Levis at $58, apparently.  But what is the value of Levis over Wranglers and other cheaper jeans?  The Wranglers have lasted 5 years, so they are obviously well constructed.  In fact, the material and construction of Wranglers and Levis are almost the same.

People Like Expensive Jeans!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I think the value of expensive jeans is exclusivity and perceived value.  People who wear expensive jeans think they are getting something extra for the money, and they are.  Expensive jeans are perceived as superior- the brand and logo is enough to distinguish one pair of jeans from another even if the construction and materials are the same.  If Levis were sold for $8, some people would want to wear more expensive jeans to separate themselves from the crowd.

Expensive Jeans!
Another part of the value of expensive jeans is you can get something you know you will like.  I liked my old pair of Levis 505.  I even wore them as cut-off shorts for a year after the holes in the knees got huge.  Levis are consistent in fit and quality.  Once you know what you like, you can get it again.  I associate Levis with quality and know I would like them.

Should I Buy Cheap Jeans or Expensive Jeans?

I decided that I didn't really need new jeans.  My 5 year old $8 Wranglers are still hanging in there.  My cheap version $13 Levis, although very faded, don't have any holes and are still fine.  But I am still looking for that clearance deal on Levis 505s.  Since Levis are in such high demand, I doubt that I will find the kind of Levis I want selling for less than $40 or so.

Are Expensive Jeans Better Than Cheap Jeans?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Eventually, I will want to buy new jeans to replace my old jeans when they finally wear out.  Will I buy expensive jeans or cheap jeans?  Realistically, I will probably end up buying more cheap jeans.  If I try on enough types of cheap jeans, I will be able to find some that fit well and have the wash of denim that I like.  As far as exclusivity, I simply don't care what people think of my clothes.  So for me, there is not enough extra value in buying expensive jeans if I can find some cheap jeans that work.

Recommended Reading:
How to Find Really Cheap Winter Clothes at Clearance Sales

Guide to Kohl's Cash and Discounts

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Should I Refinance My Mortgage?

Should I Refinance My Mortgage?

Should I refinance my mortgage?

If you can get a lower interest rate, you should refinance your mortgage- right?  Not necessarily.  Refinancing a mortgage costs money.  The bank that issues the loan to refinance your mortgage charges origination fees that can amount to thousands of dollars.  If you don't end up staying in your home long enough, you can easily end up losing money on a mortgage refinance.

Another unexpected cost of refinancing is that it can extend your payments further into the future, increasing the amount of time you are paying interest.  For example, if you have been paying on a 30 year mortgage for 3 years and then get a new 30 year mortgage in a mortgage refinance, you'll be paying interest for 3 more years than if you kept your original loan.  Even if the interest rate is lower, this can still add up to more total interest payments over time.

When Can I Save Money If I Refinance My Mortgage?

Whether or not you will save money by refinancing comes down to the details: how much lower is the interest rate?  How much are the loan origination fees?  How long will you stay in your house?  A mortgage refinance calculator can help you decide if you should refinance your mortgage.

Mortgage Refinance Calculator
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Using a mortgage refinance calculator will let you determine how much money you can save over the life of the mortgage.  The calculator above adds your refinance loan fees to the refinance mortgage amount- which is how most people cover the refinance loan fees.  You can see the affect of the lower interest rates on a refi in the form of lower monthly payments.  These lower payments save you money every month- until you reach the point where your original mortgage would have been paid off.  The calculator above calculates the total cost of your original mortgage and your refinance loan, so you can check the total cost of each and see if you would save money overall by refinancing.

You can also learn how long it will take for your savings on interest every month to cover the refinance loan fees.  For example, if it would take 24 months for your monthly savings to cover your refinance loan fees, you would need to stay in your house at least 24 months for a refinance to make sense.  If you sell your house before you reach the point where your interest savings have covered your refinance loan fees, then you would loose money by refinancing.

Reasons to Refinance a Mortgage

The main reason people refinance a mortgage is to get a low interest rate and save money on interest payments.  If you can pay less and get the same house, why not do it?  If you can get a lower monthly payment, you can use the money to pay down high interest debt, such as credit cards.  Or, you can keep the same payment and pay off your mortgage years earlier with a refinance.  These are good options to have.

Another reason people refinance a mortgage is to get out of a variable interest rate mortgage, or balloon mortgage.  Some mortgage loans have interest rates that can change over time.  You can sometimes get a lower interest rate in the short term, but there is a risk that interest rates will rise and you will end up paying more.  Most people who plan to stay in their home for a long time prefer the security of a fixed rate mortgage.  This means that your principal and interest payment will never go up.

I Decided Not To Refinance My Mortgage

I recently investigated refinancing my mortgage, but it turned out that it would pretty much be a break-even proposition.  It wasn't worth the effort to complete the mortgage application and pay fees to refinance.  My mortgage interest rate was already very low, so refinancing would not improve the rate by much at all.

The interest rate you have on your current mortgage is largely dependent on when you applied for your mortgage.  Mortgage interest rates move up and down all the time, and some years the prevailing interest rate is higher or lower than others.  If you got your original mortgage when interest rates happened to be low, there may be no benefit to refinancing.  However, if you ended up with a higher rate, you could save a lot of money by refinancing.

The only way to know if you can save money by refinancing your mortgage is to check current rates and see how much you could save.

Recommended Reading:
Credit Card Consolidation Loan Calculator

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Mortgage Refinance Calculator

Mortgage Refinance Calculator

How much could you save if you refinance your mortgage?  A mortgage refinance, also known as a "refi", means that you get a new mortgage for your home at a lower interest rate.  This mortgage refinance calculator shows you how much you will save based on the interest rate of the mortgage refinance loan.

Enter the information for your current mortgage loan information and the interest rate for the mortgage refinance loan in the calculator below and click "Compute" to see how much you can save by refinancing.  Example entries have been filled in for a 100,000 mortgage balance with 30 year term, monthly payment of $537 that started 3 years ago.  The example mortgage refi has an interest rate of 3% and an origination fee of $2000.  Simply change the example information to the information for your mortgage.

Mortgage Refi Calculator by Dr. Penny Pincher Will you save money if you refinance your mortgage? Copyright (c) 2014. All Rights Reserved http://pennypincherjournal.blogspot.com

INPUTS

Enter Current Mortgage Balance ($):

Enter Term of Current Mortgage (years):

Enter Current Monthly Payment (Principal and Interest) ($):

Enter Time Since Current Mortgage Started (years):

Enter Interest rate for Refinance Loan (%): *This interest rate is for the new refi loan, not the current loan!

Enter Origination Fee for Refinance Loan ($): *This is the cost the bank charges to finance the new loan

Cost of Current Mortgage- now to end ($):

RESULTS- Analysis of Mortgage Refinance

New Monthly Payment ($):

Savings on Monthly Payment ($):

New Loan cost (now to end) ($):

Time to break-even on refi (mo):

Total savings over life of refinance loan:

Mortgage Refinance Calculator Instructions

• The current mortgage balance is the amount that you currently owe on your mortgage.
• The current mortgage term is the total duration of your current mortgage, typically 30 years.
• The current monthly payment is the amount of your principal and interest payments on your current mortgage.  Your total monthly mortgage payment includes Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance.  For this calculation, you need the amount of principal plus interest only.  If you don't have this information handy, don't worry.  You can calculate your principal and interest payment if you know the mortgage amount and interest rate using the calculator below:

Mortgage Calculator by Dr. Penny Pincher Calculate your Mortgage Principal and Interest Payment Copyright (c) 2014. All Rights Reserved http://www.pennypincherjournal.blogspot.com

INPUTS

Enter Initial Mortgage Balance ($):

Enter Term of Current Mortgage (years):

Enter Interest rate for Mortgage (%):

RESULTS

Principal+Interest Payment ($):

You can use this mortgage calculator to calculate the principal + interest payment on your current mortgage using the original mortgage balance and current mortgage interest rate.

If you want to see how Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance contribute to your monthly mortgage payment, check out this mortgage calculator.

• The time since your current mortgage started is needed to determine how much you can save by refinancing.  You can input decimal values, such as 3.25 years.
• The next entry is the interest rate for your new refinance loan.  You can look up current refinance rates in newspapers or on the internet.
• It costs money to get a mortgage loan-this is known as the origination fee.  The Mortgage Refinance Calculator determines how long it will take to break-even on a refinance using the origination fee and your monthly savings.  In this case, the break-even time means how long it takes your monthly payment savings to cover the refinance origination fee.  The refinance loan origination fee is added to the refi loan amount in the calculator.
• Check the bottom line of the calculator: Total savings over life of refinance loan.  If a negative value is shown for savings, you will loose money over the life of the loan by refinancing!  
• One way this can happen is if you nearly have your current mortgage paid off.  Let's say you are paying $500 per month and have 5 years left to pay off your mortgage.  If you refinance you could get a new 30 year mortgage and save hundreds of dollars per month on payments- but you will be making payments for 30 more years rather than 5.  
• So even if the refi interest rate is lower, continuing to make payments longer can still add up to more money paid on interest.  You can pay more by refinancing in a scenario where you have almost paid off your original loan.
• Note that the calculator assumes you will have the same term for the refinance that you had for the original mortgage.  For example, if the original mortgage was a 30 year loan, the calculator uses a 30 year term for the refinance loan.

Saving Money with a Mortgage Refinance

As you can see when trying out refinance scenarios, it takes some time to break-even on the refinance to cover the cost of the refinance loan origination fee.  Since your interest rate on the refinance loan is lower, you'll save money every month.  It will take months of interest rate savings to cover the refinance fee- perhaps even a few years, depending on interest rates.

Getting a mortgage refinance makes sense only if you will be staying in your current house for awhile.  You can use the calculator to see how long you would need to stay in your current house for a mortgage refinance to make sense.

Another good use of the calculator is to see how much money you would actually save by refinancing before going through the effort- and fees- to get a new mortgage loan.

If you are interested in how mortgage payments are calculated, the mortgage payment formulas used in the calculators are from the Mortgage Professor.


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Credit Card Consolidation Loan Calculator

Penny Pincher Journal

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Home Insulation: Save Money on Utility Bills

Home Insulation- Add Insulation to Your Home

Years ago, I bought an old farmhouse built in the 1860's era.  This was a big two story house.  When I bought it, it had 19 windows- all with single pane glass.  It had no insulation in the walls.  There was no insulation in the floors, either.  The attic had a thin layer of mineral wool insulation.

A Thin Layer of Mineral Wool in the Attic was the Only Insulation in the House!
Image Source: Øyvind Holmstad CC-1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

We moved in over the summer.  As summer turned to fall, the furnace started running.  Then the furnace stopped heating the house, and we realized that we had emptied the propane tank already!  This was a 300 gallon tank, and propane was $1.29 per gallon at the time.  That first winter, there were times we had to fill the propane tank more than once per month.

I quickly realized the value doing a home insulation project.  Here are the home insulation improvements that we made:

Windows- Double Pane Replacement Windows with Argon

We replaced 18 of the 19 windows with double pane windows charged with argon.  The argon layer between the glass provides insulation value in the windows.  Heat easily moves through glass, but the gas layer between layers provides insulation value.  This was a do-it-yourself insulation project.  We ordered the windows 3 or 4 at a time and replaced a few on weekends until all but one had been replaced.  We used an interior plastic layer on the one large window single pane window that we did not replace.  I would estimated that installing each replacement window took a couple hours once we knew what we were doing.  We added fiberglass insulation to fill any voids and caulked around each replacement window.

Doors- Replace Wood Entry Door with Insulated Door

We replaced one old hollow core entry door with a steel door with Styrofoam insulation inside. The old door had cracked and had places where you could see light through it.  We placed large sheets of Styrofoam over two unused exterior door.  We kept one original solid wood entry door with a single pane glass window.  We added weather stripping to make a good seal around the two doors we kept as functional entry doors.  Improving insulation around the doors was also a do-it-yourself insulation project, this can be done in a few hours.

I Used Styrofoam Panels to Cover Unused Entry Doors, Saving Energy
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Blocking Drafts

Unused Single Pane Basement Window Covered with Styrofoam Insulation to Block Drafts
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

There were a couple small cracked single pane windows in basement.  I blocked these with Styrofoam from the inside and sealed them in with spray foam insulation.  I also applied caulk and spray foam insulation around openings for utility pipes, dryer vent, etc. that were letting air exchange directly between inside and outside the house.  Up next was caulking around windows from the outside to fill any gaps.  Blocking drafts is one of the most effective ways to lower your utility bill, and this is an easy do-it-yourself project.

Use Caulk to Fill Gaps in Siding and Around Windows to Stop Drafts
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

You can use an Infrared thermal leak detector to find drafts or cold spots on walls or around windows.  Just point scanner at your wall and view the readout on the IR scanner.  This will tell you where you need to add more insulation or stop drafts to save on your utility bill.  The Black and Decker model has a color-coded light that illuminates the area of your wall that is hot or cold as you scan your wall.  This makes it easier to find drafts and cold spots since you can concentrate on the wall and not focus on the temperature readout all the time.  When a red (hot) or blue (cold) spot is indicated, you can look at the temperature display to see the exact temperature of hot or cold spots.

Walls- Blow in Insulation

The interior walls of this house were plaster, and we wanted to keep the original plaster.  So to  insulate the walls, we worked from the outside.  We hired a contractor to install blow in insulation.  The contractor drilled holes through the siding and used a blower to fill the space in the walls with blow in insulation.  The holes in the siding can be plugged with wood plugs.  We just taped over the holes since we planned to replace some of the siding and paint in the spring.

The blow in insulation we used was made from recycled materials.  The main component was recycled newspaper which was ground up into small pieces.  Since paper is flammable, the insulation is treated with chemicals to make it non-flammable and suitable as a building material.  Hiring a contractor to blow in insulation cost about $2000.  I was upstairs playing with my kids on the cool day when they were blowing in the insulation.  I could actually feel the house warming up as they added the insulation in the walls!

Attic- Add Fiberglass Batts

The insulation in the attic between the joists was a loose fill material that I believe is called mineral wool.  The layer of insulation was only a couple inches thick.  I bought some unfaced R-30 fiberglass batts and added this over the top of the existing insulation.  Use unfaced fiberglass insulation when adding another layer of insulation if there is already a vapor barrier under the first layer.  The vapor barrier prevents moisture from condensing when water vapor moves from a heated space to an unheated space.

This additional insulation made a noticeable difference, especially since the bedrooms were upstairs and the thermostat for the furnace was downstairs.  It is often said that adding insulation in you attic is the most effective place to insulate to save on utility bills.  Adding fiberglass batts to the attic was a do-it-yourself insulation project that took a single day to complete.

Use Unfaced Fiberglass Batts to Add More Insulation Over Existing Insulation
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Floors- Add Fiberglass Rolls

This project was a little more challenging.  The old part of the house had a basement with easy access to the ceiling to install insulation.  However, the new part of the hose had a crawlspace underneath, and only a foot or so of clearance in some places.  Luckily, I like to save money so much that I didn't mind crawling under there in the dark to install some rolls of fiberglass insulation.  I used faced R-15 fiberglass rolls with craft paper vapor barrier.  The vapor barrier goes against the warm surface to prevent water vapor from condensing when it moves from the warm interior of the house to the cold exterior.  This was a do-it-yourself insulation project.  I worked on it a few evening a week for a month or so.  Since there were cold drafts blowing in the basement, this helped keep the floors much warmer.

Use Faced Fiberglass Batts or Rolls for the First Layer of Insulation to Provide a Vapor Barrier
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Home Insulation- How Much Can You Save on Utility Bills?

The good thing about doing a home insulation project is that it keeps paying back all the time.  In winter, you save money on heating bills every heating day after you install the insulation.  In the summer, you save on cooling every day after you install the insulation.  We spent a total of about $3000 on adding insulation to our old house.  Since our heating bills were so high, I would say that the payback period for this investment was less than 3 years.

Adding insulation to your house will save you money on utility bills, make your house more comfortable, and increase the resale value of your house.  Many insulation projects can be do-it-yourself projects, reducing the cost.  If you have a older house, an insulation project can be a good investment.

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