Pecuniarities

Once upon a time, sewing was a widespread skill common to the poorest and richest of women as well as men of many professions. The reason for the former popularity of sewing is that it is a skill both basic and necessary. Nowadays, because of manufactured clothing and looser fashions, we are more inclined to [...]

A list of government websites and resources for identifying and reporting fraud, identity theft, SPAM, email scams and more.

Madoline and I live in fear of debt; that is one of the reasons we are so vigilant about saving money. We have witnessed firsthand the consequences of extravagant spending and debt (perhaps we will share these stories at a later time), and that is why we live the way we do. So how do [...]

Heating water in the microwave to use for cooking with other appliances can reduce energy costs by shaving minutes off cooking time.

I recently learned a very important lesson about the pitfalls of complacency. Since June 2004, we had been with an auto insurance company called South Coast Auto Insurance/Anchor General, which we had chosen for its competitive rates in the Los Angeles area. When we moved to a more remote area in December of 2005, we [...]

Guide to Free Sheet Music on the Web for Music Students & Teachers Many composers, Wolfgang Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven among them, have no living descendants and therefore their works have been bequeathed to the world, and to you. Why then are poor college students required to purchase volume after volume of expensive music [...]

I have been a huge fan of libraries since I was in grade school. Being an avid reader, I would have gone bankrupt years ago had I had to purchase every single book I’ve ever read. Whenever we have moved to a new city, the first thing I always looked up even before moving there [...]