Keep More Income

Internet access can get expensive.  Where I am, a cable Internet connection costs $45 a month.  However, I’ve made it a bit cheaper by sharing the connection with my neighbors.

No, I don’t steal their Internet access.  That seems like an attractive solution to lots of people but, all legalities aside, it just does not provide a steady Internet connection or the promise of consistent access.  Trust me, I’ve been in situations in the past where I had to “borrow” Internet access in this way and the day you stop getting access to it is very frustrating.

These days, I have a deal set up with my neighbors where we share the Internet connection, and the set-up is very simple.  (This tip largely applies to apartment-dwellers like me, but is also relevant to those living in neighborhoods with densely-packed houses.)

If your dwellings are very close, then you will only need one wireless router.  Set everything up, put a password on it, give the neighbors a password, and set up a payment system with them.  You’re done.

If the connection is not consistently strong for your neighbors, what you’ll need is a wireless router with WDS (Wireless Distribution System) enabled.  Most new wireless routers have this built-in straight out of the box.  If you are a Mac user, Apple makes it very easy to set up with their Airport Extreme and Airport Express base stations.  Simply have your primary wireless router sending the Internet signal out, and then set up the second router in your neighbor’s place where the signal is the strongest.  WDS will work with the router to simply “extend” the wireless connection.

I work in tech support and, trust me, I know that this can be very confusing to most people.  What I’m trying to get at is that it is easy to set up an Internet-splitting deal with your neighbors, and that you should do it!  My instructions here are not meant to tell you exactly how to get it done, but rather to get you started on the right path.  Consult your hardware’s manuals when setting it up to see how to do everything properly, and also don’t forget the power of a good Google search.  My job here is to plant some ideas in your head, give you an idea of where to get started, and finally encourage you: get started!

My first post on this site was a recommendation to sell dead electronics on craigslist. I’d like to expound on that topic now, specifically with the example of iPods.

iPods are a ubiquitous part of American culture now. As such, many people are going to end up with broken iPods in their possession. It’s just the way electronics are — there is no way 100% of all electronics will always work.

I work in tech support and I know how that iPods die, and because of the sheer number of iPods sold, there are a lot of non-functional iPods out in the wild. But what most people don’t realize is that there is a healthy market for broken iPods.

I know that I don’t necessarily recommend selling goods on eBay, but broken iPods are one of the exceptions I make to this rule. Doing a quick eBay search for “broken ipods” will show that you will get back a large amount of your initial iPod investment.

In fact, there are a number of online stores that will buy your broken iPod. Check out this web site for a good list:
http://www.wallstreetfighter.com/2006/12/where-to-do-with-you-broken-ipod.html

Basically what I’m trying to get at is: sell your broken electronics on eBay or craigslist!

I realized a few more ways to justify getting that great home theatre set-up.

When you have a great home theatre, you end up preferring watching your movies at home.  With movie ticket prices around $10 or more, watching just ten movies a year will pay for a large chunk of your home theatre.

In other words, make movie night a social night at your place.  Stop going out to the movies and instead get friends to chip in and rent movies with you, and you’ll have a significant amount of money available to pay for your home theatre set-up.

Now you have no excuse.  Get a killer home theatre and save money.  Seems fair enough, doesn’t it?

I don’t pay for cable or satellite TV, but I do have a great home theatre set-up.  LCD TV, 5.1 surround sound, up-converting DVD player, and more.

In fact, having this set-up is what is allowing me to save money by cutting the premium cable TV.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that, with an HDTV, you can pick up all local channels in full digital high definition quality with nothing but a set of standard rabbit ear antennas.  That’s right, the same antennas that were powering TVs in the mid-20th century are the same beasts that can pick up full HD signals of your local stations.

“Local stations” of course refer to the big guys — ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, PBS, and so on — and include all the most-watched shows in American television.  Big sporting events are aired on the same stations.

In the United States, all HDTVs are, by law, required to have a tuner built-in.  What this means is that, once you have your TV purchased, rabbit ear antennas are all you’ll need to start picking up high definition TV shows.

Because I don’t pay between $600 and $1000 a year in cable TV costs, I can easily justify my home theatre purchase.  One can easily find good 5.1 speakers for around $300, a 37″ LCD TV can be had for $600, great DVD players around $50, and a strong antenna will set you back $30.

My set-up will last me for many, many years.  I don’t see upgrading my speakers or TV anytime soon.  For the one-year cost of cable TV, I was able to get a brand new, high-definition home theatre, and I can still watch most of my favorite shows — including big, live sporting events, like the Super Bowl, all in high definition.

Seems worth it to cut the cable, huh?

My intention with this post is not to upset anyone or rile any feathers. However, your interest is in saving money, so frame this tip with that in mind!

If you are not completely technically inclined and your interest is in saving money, you would best be served by purchasing an Apple computer.

There are the widely-touted reasons:

• Little to no spreaded viruses.
• Little to no spyware.
• Ease of use.

And so on.

But my biggest argument in favor of an Apple computer is the secret that comes packaged with every computer: the Apple retail stores.

Every Apple retail store comes packaged with something called a Genius Bar. It’s a bar staffed with Mac experts, who will diagnose, troubleshoot, and solve all your problems (except for out-of-warranty hardware repairs) absolutely free.

That’s right, with every Mac comes free technical support.

Again, if you are not technically inclined, you would be well-suited to purchase a Mac. I have been in the tech support business, and trust me, I know how much money you people are throwing away at Windows machines.

(Also, if you are trying to justify the initial price of entry for a Mac — which is not bad at all — consider that Apple has student and developer discounts as well. See The Apple Store Online for more information.)

I work in the technical support field, and I have to tell you, I see so much money thrown away in the form of broken computers.

The average person has zero use for a computer that doesn’t work, no matter what the ailment is.  One of the most common questions I get when I diagnose a computer that’s dead and expensive to fix is, “How do I get rid of it?”

A lot of people automatically opt for recycling programs.  I, on the other hand, get paid to recycle my dead electronics on craigslist.org.

There is a huge market for broken computers on craigslist simply because, when a computer dies, usually it is only one or two components that are bad.  All the other parts are just fine.  This includes any kind of casing on computer or any other small parts internally.  People with computer repair businesses can easily pull parts and make lots of money back on their investment in repair costs.

I am a Mac enthusiast.  I had two dead computers laying around in my closet.  One was a completely dead iBook laptop from 2001.  It hadn’t been touched in about four years and I had dropped it.  It didn’t turn on at all and had a few dead components.  But, because the screen, keyboard, and more were salvageable on it, I was able to sell it for $80.

A dead iMac of mine from 2002 went for $100.  Same deal — wouldn’t boot up, but had plenty of salvageable parts that dealers could use for other repairs.

Both of these were sold in the same one week period.  $180 and I cleared up some space in my closets.

Next time you have a dead computer, don’t let it sit around in your closet.  Try listing it on craigslist.org and get some money for it.