The move was mainly because of the relocation of my wife’s job at her employer’s request. But she didn’t get any adjustment of her salary. Of course, in this economic environment, an adjustment is probably too much to ask. We actually feel lucky that she still got to keep her job. That’s the most important thing for us right now. Besides, her employer offered $5,000 in moving assistance, which is more than enough to cover the moving cost. For me, the *new* job I got in VA pays a little more than i my old job did in NJ as I mentioned early. So overall, we made a little more now than before, but the spending increases as well.

State Income Tax

Though my wife’s salary didn’t adjust upward because of the move, she can still keep a little more on her paycheck, thanks to the Virginia’s lower state income tax. According to salary.com, New Jersey’s state income tax for our income level is 6.37% vs.Virginia’s 5.75%. That’s less than 1% difference.

State Sale Tax

We are also paying a little less for shopping in Virginia because Virginia has only 5% sale tax as compared to New Jersey’s 7%. However, back in NJ, we didn’t pay sale taxes for clothing and food. In VA, we have to pay taxes on pretty much everything. Here, the sale tax for clothing is 5% (VA does have tax holiday for cloth and school supplies in August though) and food 2.5%. For this part, we are likely to end up paying more than we did in NJ.

Car Tax

There’s no such thing as vehicle tax in New Jersey. But in Virginia, it’s a different story. I found a car tax is rather weird, but that’s what we have to pay. We don’t know how much the tax is yet as we are still using NJ plates.

Car Insurance

Well, Virginia gives us a relief when it comes to car insurance premium. New Jersey is notorious for its high cost to insure cars. Though we think we got a good deal from Costco, we still pay about $555 every six months to insure our two cars (one comprehensive and the other liability only). Moving to VA actually saves us nearly $110 for a 6-month policy with exactly the same coverage. A big saving here.

Daycare

So far as we can see, the biggest increase in spending is the cost to send our daughter to daycare. Though my wife gets a 10% discount from her employer, we are still paying $1,9112/month now. In New Jersey, the total cost was $1,350 a month. The good thing is the daycare center takes credit card (only Discover though). So at least I can get $19 back every month.

Mortgage Payment/Rent

I am glad that we sold our house in New Jersey before moving down here so we don’t have to pay both the mortgage for our old home and rent for our new one at the same time, though the sale isn’t closed yet (hopefully it will soon). Our monthly mortgage payment is about $1,112 a month (I also make about $160 extra payment) plus $210 monthly association fee. In Virginia, our monthly rent is $1,421, about $100 more than before.

Gas price

I always have the feeling that New Jersey is probably one of the cheapest place in the country to fill up cars, so I was a little surprised when I saw on gasbuddy.com that today’s average price for one gallon of regular gas in our old place is $2.48 compared to Virginia’s $2.39. However, I did pay more than $2.50 at a gas station here the other day. So maybe the saving won’t be that much, if any. The positive side is now we both have much shorter commute than before.

Grocery

Back in New Jersey, we had a farm market nearby where we got our fresh vegetables and fruits every week with price much lower than other grocery stores. There was also a ShopRite not far away fro us to shop for other items. Here in Virginia at where we live now, the only grocery store I found so far is Giant which sells stuff at a relatively higher price than ShopRite does. And there’s no farm market as we used to have. There’s a Walmart about 10 miles away where we can get other household items and a Costco about the same distance in another town. Since food is only a very small portion of our spending, it won’t cost us a lot more even with the higher price and sale taxes.

So overall, I think it will cost a little bit more to live in Virginia with the largest increase coming from child care. Since we have only been here for a few days, I don’t know exactly how much the increase is. Hopefully, the increase in my salary is enough to cover it

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Green frugality is popular because saving money and saving the earth are often accomplished by the same actions and ways of thinking. If you’re interested in pursuing a more eco-friendly approach to frugality then start with these steps:

• Make a list of everything you already do to live frugally that is green. If you walk instead of driving or wear sweaters instead of turning on the heat then you’re acting in an earth-friendly manner. Making this list will help you to see how easy it is to turn your frugal life into a green life.
• Recycle / repurpose everything that you can. Part of living frugally is learning how to use what you already have to make what you need. This saves money but it also significantly reduces your waste. Waste reduction is a key part of being green.
• Focus on being aware of the decisions that you make. Living frugally involves making decisions all of the time about how to best save money. When you’re making these decisions, focus on the impact that these choices have on the earth. Choose the money-saving action that is most green. For example, if you want to save money on a summer vacation then you could choose to take a day trip somewhere or you can choose a staycation at home. Staying home is probably greener.
• Choose green actions with a frugal mindset. As you begin to embrace a green lifestyle, you’ll find yourself presented with a lot of options for going green. You could get an electric car, purchase solar panels for your home or buy carbon footprint offsets. Don’t get tempted away from frugality by these options. Look at the long-range financial impact of all green options and choose the one that is most frugal.

Frugal living and green living do not always mean the same thing. However, they can easily be adapted to fit into a single lifestyle. Making conscious choices and being aware of the impact of your choices on the environment can help you to embrace a green lifestyle while saving money.

This is a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo who writes a frugal blog.

photo credit: Rento.rm

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Now how do you like the idea of an online marketplace that lets you select qualified contractors, who are also reviewed and rated by others, and name your own price on how much you want to pay for the job? Just like you would do at Priceline.com when making flight/hotel reservations?

Sounds interesting?  Actually, there’s already such a place to let you do just that, at ServiceLive.com.

What is ServiceLive.com

This is a new website for me, therefore I first want to know what ServiceLive is and what it provides. According to the website:

Founded in 2007 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation, ServiceLive has spent the last year recruiting and conducting background checks on the best service providers in the country across a wide variety of home services – from handymen and home electronics pros to plumbers and computer experts.

So the website actually has been around for a while and knowing that it’s a subsidiary of Sears makes me feel a little more confident about its legitimacy. I never used this service before, so I have no idea on how good or bad it is. But I did do a little check on what are offered.

What Does ServiceLive.com Provide

After entering my Zip code, ServiceLive found 1349 providers in my area, from Automotive, Electrician, to Heating & Cooling and Lawn & Carden, covering almost every area in which you may need some professional help.

I then clicked one of the automotive contractors’ link  to find a little more information about the service, customer feedback and ratings, and the area that the contractor covers.

For a service provider to be listed on ServiceLive, the provider has to pass a background check, including criminal, vehicle, and civil records, required by ServiceLive’s Fortune 500 customers. According to the AP article which led me to the website, ServiceLive so far has already recruited more than 9,000 providers across the nation and 23,000 more are in the process of being approved. That’s a quite large number.

In addition to Name Your Own Price, you will need need to pay a small fee, $10 to be exact, to get your job listed on ServiceLive, and once your job is completed by a service provider from ServiceLive, it will collect 10% of the total cost as commission.

How to Get Started

To get started with ServiceLive, you will need to follow these steps to set up your account and provide descriptions of the job you want to get done. Remember, the fees must be paid up front, even though they are held by ServiceLive until the work is completed.

1. Enter your zip code to view and select pre-screened providers in your area: You can view profiles, insurance information and ratings of providers
2. Describe your project, set your schedule and name your price: You can even upload photos and instructions to help providers understand your project.
3. Create and Fund your account: Enter your contact information and upload the amount you named for your project into your ServiceLive Wallet to let providers know your project is real. You maintain control of your funds until the project is completed to your satisfaction.
4. Post your order: Your selected providers compete for your business – the first one to accept your terms wins! A provider also may respond with a counter offer for a different time or price. Remember, the more providers you select, the greater chance that you will receive your price and time.
5. Pay provider from your ServiceLive account and rate provider: Once the provider has completed the project to your satisfaction, just click “Close and Pay” to move funds from your ServiceLive Wallet to the provider’s Wallet. Then rate the provider, and you are ready for your next ServiceLive project!

So, what do you think of this service? Are you going to use it for your next repair job? And do you think it can save you money?

*Source: AP

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Four winters have gone and our furnace did what we expected it to do: Keep us warm without any trouble, but only until last week. Last Tuesday morning when we woke up, there was a smell in the house that we didn’t have before. The thermostat was set on On, but no hot air. When I tried to manually restart the furnace, it failed and the smell of the heating oil kept coming out  from the vents. So I had to shut the furnace down and call in to maintenance to replace yet another part, the third in a month The furnace was working for that day, but failed to start again the next morning. At that time, we knew the time has finally come. According to the last technician, our GE furnace could be at least 25 years old, could be the original one installed when the house was built. It has worked long and hard for the house and now it’s time to retire it.

In fact, GE no longer makes furnace any more. From the above picture, you can see how old it is.

Anyway, the next task is to find a dealer to install a quality furnace for us quickly. Exactly which brand is better, I have no idea. It’s getting cold here, so we want it replaced ASAP.

But I have never shopped for a furnace before, only knowing the unit we will get has to be efficient. After Googling a few things like “how to buy an oil furnace” and “efficient oil furnace,” etc, I got some ideas of what to look for.  First, the contractor. There are quite a few contractors in this area, but I didn’t know any and have no idea who’s good and who’s not. So instead of going to a small contractor, I decided to first check out the two local oil companies that I know, one supplies our heating oil, the other doesn’t.

The first company came last Wednesday to give us an estimate. The oil furnace they use is Thermo Pride OH6FA072D48B. Considering the size of the house, they recommended a Low Fire unit with output BTUH 60,000 and fuel efficiency 84.0%. The total installation cost is $3,795 plus $150 for the permit from the township and $270 for chimney inspection. They also recommended an optional GE ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor) variable speed motor to save more on energy (according to the brochure, it could save up to $620 annually in this area), but it comes with $600 price tag. The unit’s standard blower motor is constant speed, but it can be set at different speed at installation. If we get everything including the ECM motor, the total cost will be $4,815. However, if I choose them, I don’t have to make the payment at once. I can half the installation cost when signing the contract and the rest in 12 months interest free.

The second company uses Armstrong Air LUF80C84 (Armstrong Air is a Lennox company) with 85,000 output BTUH and 81.0% fuel efficiency. The total installation cost is $3,900 plus $150 for the permit. They didn’t mention anything about chimney inspection though. The payment option isn’t that sweet: $1,000 down when signing the contract and no payment for six months.

From the total cost and efficiency of the unit, the choice seems to be obvious. But what about the unit itself? Which one can save more on energy? According to the qualified oil furnace list on energystar.gov, the Thermo Pride model meets Energy Star guidelines (oil and gas furnaces have annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) ratings of 83% and 90%, or higher), but not the Armstrong Air unit.

After comparing both the cost and fuel efficiency, we decided to go with the first oil company and get the Thermo Pride furnace which also comes with 10 year parts warranty (Armstrong Air unit only has 5 year warranty on parts) and a better payment option, but without the ECM motor. I can pay all the cost at once if I have to, but the option is available, so why not? Plus, since I am already a customer, they are not going to run a credit check or anything like that. If they do, then I probably won’t take the interest free offer.

Without any further delay, I signed the contract with the first company this Monday and made $1,995 down payment with my Fidelity 529 College Rewards card (yes, I will get 2% back). The new furnace will be installed tomorrow.

This is one thing that we should have done when we bought the house, so we could have enjoyed the new furnace for five years and saved some money on heating oil Nonetheless, I am still happy that our house will soon be warm again

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If you do (apparently many do), then the terms you searched help Google makes its own Flu Trends, which Google claims can “estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional systems.” That’s pretty good. The Flu Trends can also show flu activities for each individual state, as well as locations to get flu shots.

See, when you control information, you can make predications and your own trend. You can even tell people when they may get a flu

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I am staying at home today with the kids to help them recover from the heavy jet lag. It’s so cold both outside and inside the house that I have to turn on the heat to keep them warm.

Speaking of turning on the heat, we had our first oil delivery since March yesterday. At this time last year, when we received the first delivery of the season, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we used only 27 gallons of heating oil in 5 months. This time, the total amount is much higher, 120 gallons, but it was consumed in more than 7 months! Last year, the price we paid was $2.459/gallon, now it’s $2.969 per gallon. That’s an increase of 20.7% in one year. If the crude oil price didn’t below the $70 mark (a nearly 50% decline since its peak in early July) recently, the price we pay could be much higher and the winter could be a tough one. Fortunately, it looks like we are not going to see $150 a barrel oil any time soon with the economy struggling.

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We know too much sugar is not good for our children, so we are trying to limit their intake for sugar, or anything that’s nothing but sweet. In fact, none of our children is craving for sweets: They will be happy if we give them the fruit candy. If they don’t get it, they won’t complain, especially the older one. She’s a meat eater, but also likes vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli, and drinks a lot low-fat milk But then, when we look at the store shelves, we can find a lot of children foods claimed by manufactures as healthy and nutritious that are not really so. Instead, what many have in common are two ingredients: sugar and salt, lot of them. Today, on Time’s website, they listed 9 kid foods that parents should avoid and the Fruit by the Foot is one of them.

According to Time, these foods have more than just vitamins and minerals that our children need. They are actually too salty for kids:

• Kid Cuisine All Star Chicken Breast Nuggets
  Alternative: Kid Cuisine’s Twist and Twirl Spaghetti with Meatballs.
• Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers
  Alternative: Honey Maid graham crackers.
• Campbell Soup Cars Souper Shapes Condensed Soup
  Alternative: Earth’s Best Organic Elmo Vegetable Soup
• Kraft Scooby-Doo! Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
  Alternative: Uncle Ben’s Brown Whole Grain Rice.
• Oscar Mayer Lunchables Mini Tacos
  Alternative: Oscar Mayer Lunchables Chicken Dunks.

And these are just too sweet:

• Kudos Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
  Alternative: Cascadian Farms’ Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.
• Betty Crocker Fruit By The Foot
  Alternative: Real fruit
• Sunny Delight
  Alternative: Milk

The last item on Time’s list is Earth’s Best Organic Mini Waffles, which Time says has a high level of calories from fat. The alternative, as suggested by Time, is Quaker Oats.

Do you always pay attention to the nutrition label when shopping for kid foods?

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So what’s the reason behind the action from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club, which serve both individual shoppers and small business owners? Apparently, it has something to do with the recent surge of rice price, as well as the prices of corn and wheat. Increased media coverage on food shortage in some countries (UN’s World Food Program yesterday called the food crisis a “silent tsunami of hunger“) also fueled concerns among consumers in this country about supplies of food staples, though there’s no shortage here in the U.S.

Tonight, when I told my wife the stories I heard about Costco and Sam’s Club, she said maybe we should get a couple of bags of rice this weekend, just in case. Since a 20-lb bag of rice, which typically costs between $8 and $15, can last nearly two months in our house, I am far from in the panic mode. However, with food prices on the rise, groceries are taking a bigger and bigger share in our monthly expenses, just like gasoline.

Are you concerned?

photo credit: stevegarfield

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According to 41pounds.org, the average adult in this country receives 41 pounds of unwanted junk mail each year. That’s a lot of junk mail!

In the May issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, the magazine listed several ways to stop the junk mail for good, including both free and paid service.

Free Services

DMAChoice.org

DMAChoice.org is Direct Marketing Association’s consumer information site. At DMAChoice, you can register to get your name removed from mailing lists, email lists, and telemarketing lists. To register, you can choose either to finish the process online or by mail, but that will cost you $1. The online registration process is quite simple, taking only a couple of minutes, and it also allows you to create an account so you can change your preference later.

After creating an account by providing name, address, user name, and password (DMAChoice will send your a confirmation email for using their Mail Preference Service) , you can set your preference on what to receive and what not, including

• Catalog Option
• Opt-In/Out of other Mail Offers
• Opt-Out of All Mailing

For the Catalog Option, you will need to provide the name of the catalog that you don’t wish to receive. And for both the Mail Offers and All Mailing option, a valid credit card is needed in order to complete the process online, though it’s only for verification purpose and you won’t be charge. There’s a By Mail option, but, again, there’s a $1 fee.

CatalogChoice.org

Alternatively, you can also opt-out of receiving unwanted catalogs at CatalogChoice.org. The registration is straightforward, and once registered, (confirmation needed as well) you can browse thourgh a list of catalogs to find the exact name of the catalog you don’t want any more. I found this option better than that of DMAChoice (of course, if you are receiving catalogs you don’t need, you know the name already )

And what’s better of CataLogChoice is it allows users to expand their database. If you have a catalog that isn’t in their database, you can suggest it to them so people later on can find it.

The service at CatalogChoice is also free.

OptOutPreScreen.com

OptOutPreScreen.com is the official website of the Consumer Credit Reporting Industry (companies such as Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). At OptOutPreScreen.com, you can

• Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers for Five Years;
• Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers permanently;
• Opt-In and be eligible to receive Firm Offers;

There’s no additional cost to opt-out, but you do need to provide personal information such as social security number and date of birth, and name and address of course, in order to complete the process.

Paid Services

The above services are basically free (except the $1 fee DMAChoice charges for mail-in registration). There are, however, a couple of other sits offer similar service, but charge a small amount of fee that is used for non-profit activities. For example, GreenDimes.com has a Premium service for $20 that will remove your name from more than two dozen junk mail lists and stop catalogs that yo don’t want to receive. Additional services also include monthly monitoring of your account to make sure your names stay off the lists and quarterly reports with details on the progress in reducing your junk mail. Plus, they will plant 5 trees on your behalf! CreenDimes also has a fee-free version that’s quite similar to the above services (opt-out junk mail lists and catalogs). Not only the service is free, GreenDimes will actually pay you $1 for protecting the environment by eliminating junk mail! Pretty cool

Another paid service is from 41Pounds.org. 41Pounds charges $41 to stop junk mail from reaching your mailbox, but, according to the site, 1/3 of the fee it collected will be donated to environmental or community groups at your choice.

photo credit: JoeBenjamin

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It really sounds scary when thinking of all the stuff coming out of my tap. However, the report did mention that the amount of contamination found in our drinking water is very, very small. So tiny that you may have to drink a billion, or trillion, glasses of water just to get the amount of drug from the water that’s equivalent to a dose of medicine.

The real problem isn’t what one element in the water can cause for our health, but so many drugs, OTC or prescribed, all together over the long-term. Taking one pill in my life is one thing. Taking a little bit everyday for my life is clearly another.

If tap water is “dangerous,” what about bottled water or filtered water? They are not “safe” either, thee report says.

Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don’t necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry’s main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems.

Looks like we got nowhere to hide but live in this dangerous world

Does this study make you think twice every time you get a glass of “clean” water fro your tap from now?

photo credit: ac94

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We bought two oil-filled radiators (a Delonghi TRD0715T and a Honeywell HZ-709 7) in the past two winters to heat the two bedrooms. This winter season, we fired up our radiators early last November when the outside temperature dropped to the 40-degree range. Inside the rooms, the radiators are on 11 hours from 8:00 pm to 7:00 am the next morning. The temperature on the radiators is set at 70 degrees, while the thermostat is at 61 degrees.

After the first two months of this winter, which was actually quite *warm* so far with no major snows, we saw our electricity usage surged to a record level. I just paid our December electricity bill of $125.15, the largest ever for us.

When we think of winter energy bill, our concern is always on the ever increasing price of heating oil/natural gas. In early November when we received our first oil delivery, the price we paid was more than 30% higher than what we paid last winter. If relying entirely on heating oil, the price tag could be quite high for staying warm this winter, especially when the oil price is hovering around $100 with no sign of easing. So we turned to radiators, but only to spend much more on electricity.

When the winter is over, I wonder how much, if at all, we saved on heating with the radiators.

BTW, the Honeywell HZ-709 7 radiator with digital control is much better than the Delonghi TRD0715T. the Delonghi radiator has a mechanical programmable timer. When we first bought it, it was quite. However, after a few month, the timer’s click got louder and louder and we had to unplug the radiator when not using it to slow the deterioration

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After falling to the second place behind St. Louis, MO in WCBS880.com, the top 25 dangerous cities with their respective scores are:

1. Detroit, MI: 407.2
2. St. Louis, MO: 406.2
3. Flint, MI: 381.0
4. Oakland, CA: 338.9
5. Camden, NJ: 323.8
6. Birmingham, AL: 268.8
7. North Charleston, SC: 254.3
8. Memphis, TN: 245.6
9. Richmond, CA: 245.1
10. Cleveland, OH: 244.4
11. Orlando, FL: 237.4
12. Baltimore, MD: 236.7
13. Little Rock, AR: 233.8
14. Compton, CA: 223.6
15. Youngstown, OH: 222.0
16. Cincinnati, OH: 218.3
17. Gary, IN: 214.0
18. Kansas City, MO: 203.4
19. Dayton, OH: 201.5
20. Newark, NJ: 197.3
21. Philadelphia, PA: 192.9
22. Atlanta, GA: 189.9
23. Jackson, MS: 188.8
24. Buffalo, NY: 187.8
25. Kansas City, KS: 187.6

At the other end of the spectrum are cities with lowest crime rates, including

1. Mission Viejo, CA: -82.1
2. Clarkstown, NY: -81.0
3. Brick Township, NJ: -78.7
4. Amherst, NY: -75.4
5. Sugar Land, TX: -75.4
6. Colonie, NY: -74.6
7. Thousand Oaks, CA: -73.8
8. Newton, MA: -73.5
9. Toms River Township, NJ: -72.7
10. Lake Forest, CA: -71.7
11. Irvine, CA: -71.1
12. Orem, UT: -70.6
13. Round Rock, TX: -69.4
14. Cary, NC: -68.6
15. Greece, NY: -68.5
16. Chino Hills, CA: -63.2
17. Coral Springs, FL: -62.0
18. Troy, MI: -61.8
19. Farmington Hills, MI: -61.7
20. Centennial, CO: -61.3
21. Glendale, CA: -59.2
22. Broken Arrow, OK: -58.8
23. Parma, OH: -58.8
24. Sterling Heights, MI: -58.5
25. Simi Valley, CA: -58.5

As you can imagine, the cities in the most dangerous list are not happy about the ranking, which only took the raw numbers without any context. And the publication of the report has been criticized by U.S. Conference of Mayors, as well as the FBI. However, I do feel the report has values, though itself is not perfect. If a city has a crime rate that’s 100 times higher than the city I am living in, I’d think twice before considering a relocation.

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Anyway, the last oil delivery we got was in June and the price we paid was $2.709/gallon. Last night, we received our first delivery of this season of 51.5 gallons. Though the quantity almost doubled what we consumed in the May to October period last year, it isn’t too bad considering that we already turned on the heat since early this month when the temperature dropped to around 50 degrees in the evening. Then, the price of the oil.

The price we paid in October 2006 was $2.459/gallon. This year, it goes up to $3.249 a gallon, an increase of 32% in a little over a year. Of course, we didn’t get any help from the $90+/barrel crude oil this time around. In fact, according to a recent Energy Information Administration projection, US households are expected to spend $339, or 22%, more on average on heating oil this winter than the last.

Last winter from October 25, 2006 to February 28, 2007, we used a total of 260 gallons of heating oil at the cost of $670. Since nobody was at home from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, we were able to set the temperature low during the day time. In the evening, we used two oil radiators to keep the bedrooms warm and other areas of the house relatively cold. All of these helped us reducing the total consumption of heating oil. This year, I don’t expect we will be using more oil. So even if the price is $1 higher than last year, the increase in total cost to stay warm this winter won’t have a material impact on our spending.

*Photo from abclocal.go.com.

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So what are the keys to be happy?

• Be attuned to what gives you genuine satisfaction. Although many people assume that popular activities like watching TV are enjoyable, their own reports generally indicate that they feel more engaged, energetic, satisfied and happy when doing other things.
• Study yourself. To better understand their own happiness, Csikszentmihalyi says, people should systematically record their activities and feelings every few hours for a week or two. In recording your observations, try to focus on how you actually feel, rather than what you think you ought to be feeling or what you expect to feel. Afterwards, note the high points, particularly, and the low ones. Then try to adjust how you spend time according to your findings.
• Take control. Repairing unhappy conditions requires active effort. People often assume external conditions will change for the better or let chance determine their response. That’s a mistake. “Get control,” Csikszentmihalyi says. When things aren’t right, “you have to put in the same effort you would if your business were in trouble. Just as markets move, life changes too.”

*Picture from eslkidstuff.com

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Two months ago I was pulled over on my way to work after dropping off my daughter at day care. The officer asked if I had any idea how fast I was traveling and I said no. In fact, I never really paid attention to the speed limit on that road, though I have been living around that area for nearly four years. It’s a local road near residential area, so the limit couldn’t be high. The officer then told me my speed was 51 mph and the limit is 35. 51? I knew I was speeding but was I really that fast? But why exactly 16 miles over the limit? I didn’t dispute and didn’t ask for the radar readings (I don’t know if I could).

In the past ten years, I didn’t have any accident except once I was hit by a guy on my left trying to make a right turn, but that was my fourth speeding ticket. I guess I always tend to drive a faster, but to some extent, who doesn’t speed? How many people actually follow the posted speed limit?

Anyway, after postponing the court appearance twice, I eventually decided to go yesterday to see my chance of getting the case dropped or downgraded. Outside the court room, I found the officer’s name appeared as witness on a long list of cases and after meeting him in the hallway, I knew I can’t expect a no-show. The best chance for me, thus, was to try to get the charge reduced. With my last ticket three years ago, I played the delay game three times and when I called to get another extension, I was told over the phone I didn’t have to come if I agreed to double the fine and they could reduce the charge from speeding to a less severe reckless driving with no point.

The talk with the prosecutor didn’t last long and he agreed to amend the charge to a 14-mile over the limit instead of 16, but that’s still worth 2 points! He said he can remove the points if there were only two (0 to 14 miles over the limit), but couldn’t go from 4 to zero. Fine!

So what did this costly ticket teach me? First, don’t speed. It could put people in danger. Next, if I do need to go a little faster for various reasons, don’t exceed the limit more than 14 miles.

BTW, here’s an article on LifeHacker on how to beat a speeding ticket. I read it but didn’t beat it, (.

*Picture from Pointts.com

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When I got home, I tried this new method to see how it works. The sponge I put in the microwave oven was wet since I felt it won't be a good idea to put a dry sponge in the microwave. So I washed it and put it in a bowl. After only about forty seconds, the oven was full of steam and I stopped it. The sponge was fine, except that it was very hot. Then I put it back and let it finish the time. But I smelled something was burning and had to stop the microwave with a few seconds left on the clock. The sponge side was totally dried out. On the blue fiber side, however, there was a small black hole. 

This apparently isn't a small story as LifeHacker.com also mentioned it today and there's a story on CNN.com tonight reporting several incidents when people put dry sponge in the microwave oven, trying to follow the recommendation to kill sponge germs. University of Florida, which recommended this method, issued the following advisory:

To guard against the risk of fire, people who wish to sterilize their sponges at home must ensure the sponge is completely wet. Two minutes of microwaving is sufficient for most sterilization. Sponges should also have no metallic content. Last, people should be careful when removing the sponge from the microwave as it will be hot.

My sponge was wet but still got ruined.  

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Yesterday an article on USAToday, however, offered the opposite: Money can indeed buy happiness, though only to some limited extent. The conclusion (only one among many) is supported by findings from a research conducted by economist Andrew Oswald in England, who claimed that there's no doubt money makes people happier. The main debate is by how much.

If you are among people who still believe happiness has nothing to do with income or net worth, another article on AP Health has some simple actions you can take to make your life happier:

• Think of three good things that happened that day every night, and analyze why they occurred.
• Discover your personal strengths (through a specialized questionnaire [registration required]) and choose the five most prominent ones and apply one or more of your strengths in a new way every day.
• Write down what you want to be remembered for, to help you bring your daily activities in line with what's really important to you.
• Think about the happiest day in your life over and over again, without analyzing it, and write about how you'll be 10 years from now.

However, no matter which practice you want to choose, always keep in your mind that happiness is "about work and striving." As psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois said:

Happiness is the process, not the place …… So many of us think that when we get everything just right, and obtain certain goals and circumstances, everything will be in place and we will be happy…. But once we get everything in place, we still need new goals and activities. The Princess could not just stop when she got the Prince.

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According to AP Health news, athletes who drank chocolate milk had long lasting (about 49% to 54%) energy than those who drank carbohydrate drink instead. So what made chocolate milk superior than sports drink, which is a mixture of "water, carbs, proteins, maybe minerals and electrolytes"?

"The same thing. There's no reason it shouldn't be as good for recovery as a carb drink."

Besides, chocolate milk is cheaper as well:

To get 75 grams of carbohydrate, you'd need about 18 ounces of chocolate milk, three scoops of a carb drink or about 17 ounces of a fluid-replacement drink. The milk option would cost around 49 cents, which is about 95 cents less than the carb drink and about 9 cents less than a 17-ounce serving of Gatorade. 

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• not being overweight
• having low blood pressure
• having low blood sugar levels
• having low levels of bad cholesterol
• not drinking alcohol excessively
• not becoming overweight
• not smoking
• having a strong grip
• achieving a high level of education

and finally

• being married

according to a 40-year study of nearly 6,000 Japanese-American men living in Hawaii.

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Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books, just released its 13th annual "City Crime Rankings." This year's report, compiled with FBI crime data of 2004 and 2005, put St. Louis, MI (did they just win the world series?), as the most dangerous city in the nation, followed by Detroit, MI, Flint, MI, Compton, CA and Camden, NJ. And the honor of the safest goes to Brick, NJ, followed by Amherst, NY, and Mission Viejo, CA.

In the past couple of years (2004 and 2005), Camden, NJ, which is about 60 miles from where we live and also has a Rutgers University campus in town, topped the list of most dangerous cities and because of the ranking, the campus saw a sharp decline in enrollment. Officials of the city complained that the list failed to recognize the improvement made by the city and left people with very bad impression. This year, Camden is off the hook, though not by far.

So how safe is your city? Here's the complete list from WCBS:  

    1. Brick, N.J.
    2. Amherst, N.Y.
    3. Mission Viejo, Calif.
    4. Newton, Mass.
    5. Troy, Mich.
    6. Colonie, N.Y.
    7. Irvine, Calif.
    8. Cary, N.C.
    9. Greece, N.Y.
    10. Coral Springs, Fla.
    11. Thousand Oaks, Calif.
    12. Orem, Utah
    13. Round Rock, Texas
    14. Dover, N.J.
    15. Lake Forest, Calif.
    16. Sterling Heights, Mich.
    17. Simi Valley, Calif.
    18. Roswell, Ga.
    19. Lee's Summit, Mo.
    20. Broken Arrow, Okla.
    21. Chino Hills, Calif.
    22. Gilbert, Ariz.
    23. Edison, N.J.
    24. Cranston, R.I.
    25. Port St. Lucie, Fla.
    26. Sandy, Utah
    27. Nashua, N.H.
    28. Danbury, Conn.
    29. Huntington Beach, Calif.
    30. Orange, Calif.
    31. Hamilton, N.J.
    32. Parma, Ohio
    33. Overland Park, Kan.
    34. Santa Clarita, Calif.
    35. Stamford, Conn.
    36. Cheektowaga, N.Y.
    37. Livonia, Mich.
    38. Sunnyvale, Calif.
    39. Murrieta, Calif.
    40. Canton, Mich.
    41. Plano, Texas
    42. Warwick, R.I.
    43. Torrance, Calif.
    44. Clifton, N.J.
    44. Newport Beach, Calif.
    46. Woodbridge, N.J.
    47. Fargo, N.D.
    48. Norman, Okla.
    49. Olathe, Kan.
    50. Boca Raton, Fla.
    51. Livermore, Calif.
    52. Centennial, Colo.
    53. Fremont, Calif.
    54. Clinton, Mich.
    55. Vacaville, Calif.
    56. Tracy, Calif.
    57. Bellevue, Wash.
    58. Carlsbad, Calif.
    59. Pembroke Pines, Fla.
    60. Farmington Hills, Mich.
    61. Richardson, Texas
    62. Rancho Cucamon., Calif.
    63. Boulder, Colo.
    64. McKinney, Texas
    65. Rochester, Minn.
    66. Beaverton, Ore.
    67. Santa Clara, Calif.
    68. Daly City, Calif.
    69. Lewisville, Texas
    70. Napa, Calif.
    71. Burbank, Calif.
    72. Arvada, Colo.
    73. Alexandria, Va.
    74. Virginia Beach, Va.
    75. Ann Arbor, Mich.
    76. Quincy, Mass.
    77. Glendale, Calif.
    78. Ventura, Calif.
    79. Provo, Utah
    80. Fullerton, Calif.
    81. Lawrence, Kan.
    82. Scottsdale, Ariz.
    83. Carrollton, Texas
    84. Hillsboro, Ore.
    85. Somerville, Mass.
    86. Kenosha, Wis.
    87. Davie, Fla.
    88. Chino, Calif.
    89. Sunrise, Fla.
    90. Cape Coral, Fla.
    91. Henderson, Nev.
    92. Billings, Mont.
    93. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    94. Plantation, Fla.
    95. Costa Mesa, Calif.
    96. San Mateo, Calif.
    97. Garland, Texas
    98. Madison, Wis.
    99. Corona, Calif.
    100. Clovis, Calif.
    101. Yonkers, N.Y.
    102. Alhambra, Calif.
    103. Buena Park, Calif.
    104. Odessa, Texas
    105. Chandler, Ariz.
    106. Norwalk, Conn.
    107. Upper Darby, Pa.
    108. Peoria, Ariz.
    109. Westminster, Calif.
    110. Roseville, Calif.
    111. Lakewood, Calif.
    112. San Jose, Calif.
    113. Honolulu, Hawaii
    114. El Paso, Texas
    115. Santa Barbara, Calif.
    116. Temecula, Calif.
    117. Cambridge, Mass.
    118. Pasadena, Texas
    119. Brownsville, Texas
    120. Boise, Idaho
    121. Garden Grove, Calif.
    122. Mesquite, Texas
    123. Westminster, Colo.
    124. Manchester, N.H.
    125. Whittier, Calif.
    126. Westland, Mich.
    127. McAllen, Texas
    128. Lincoln, Neb.
    129. Pasadena, Calif.
    130. Columbia, Mo.
    131. Midland, Texas
    132. Chesapeake, Va.
    133. Santa Rosa, Calif.
    134. Spokane Valley, Wash.
    135. Anaheim, Calif.
    136. Athens-Clarke, Ga.
    137. Green Bay, Wis.
    138. Irving, Texas
    139. Fort Collins, Colo.
    140. Escondido, Calif.
    141. Miramar, Fla.
    142. Concord, Calif.
    143. West Covina, Calif.
    144. Hampton, Va.
    145. New York City
    146. Denton, Texas
    147. Palm Bay, Fla.
    148. Sioux City, Iowa
    149. Sioux Falls, S.D.
    150. Thornton, Colo.
    151. Salem, Ore.
    152. Hialeah, Fla.
    153. Baldwin Park, Calif.
    154. Erie, Pa.
    155. San Angelo, Texas
    156. Oxnard, Calif.
    157. Oceanside, Calif.
    158. Austin, Texas
    159. Evansville, Ind.
    160. Lakeland, Fla.
    161. Laredo, Texas
    162. Raleigh, N.C.
    163. El Monte, Calif.
    164. Waterbury, Conn.
    165. Vista, Calif.
    166. Murfreesboro, Tenn.
    167. Fontana, Calif.
    168. Grand Prairie, Texas
    169. Fort Wayne, Ind.
    170. Santa Ana, Calif.
    171. Santa Monica, Calif.
    172. Lexington, Ky.
    173. Colorado Springs, Colo.
    174. Suffolk, Va.
    175. Hollywood, Fla.
    176. Eugene, Ore.
    177. Norwalk, Calif.
    178. Santa Maria, Calif.
    179. Downey, Calif.
    180. Abilene, Texas
    181. Chula Vista, Calif.
    182. Ogden, Utah
    183. Melbourne, Fla.
    184. Clarksville, Tenn.
    185. Sparks, Nev.
    186. San Diego, Calif.
    187. Carson, Calif.
    188. Vancouver, Wash.
    189. Greeley, Colo.
    190. Springfield, Mo.
    191. Mesa, Ariz.
    192. Moreno Valley, Calif.
    193. Tyler, Texas
    194. Dearborn, Mich.
    195. Des Moines, Iowa
    196. Lowell, Mass.
    197. San Antonio
    198. Corpus Christi, Texas
    199. El Cajon, Calif.
    200. Salinas, Calif.
    201. Fairfield, Calif.
    202. Lakewood, Colo.
    203. Redding, Calif.
    204. Ontario, Calif.
    205. South Gate, Calif.
    206. Topeka, Kan.
    207. Arlington, Texas
    208. Lawton, Okla.
    209. Riverside, Calif.
    210. Antioch, Calif.
    211. Long Beach, Calif.
    212. Anchorage, Alaska
    213. West Valley, Utah
    214. Hawthorne, Calif.
    215. Yuma, Ariz.
    216. Louisville, Ky.
    217. Omaha, Neb.
    218. Clearwater, Fla.
    219. Independence, Mo.
    220. Spokane, Wash.
    221. Reno, Nev.
    222. Grand Rapids, Mich.
    223. Pueblo, Colo.
    224. Hayward, Calif.
    225. Tuscaloosa, Ala.
    226. Berkeley, Calif.
    227. Las Cruces, N.M.
    228. Mobile, Ala.
    229. Worcester, Mass.
    230. Palmdale, Calif.
    231. Modesto, Calif.
    232. Wichita Falls, Texas
    233. Lubbock, Texas
    234. San Leandro, Calif.
    235. Amarillo, Texas
    236. Bakersfield, Calif.
    237. Columbus, Ga.
    238. Gainesville, Fla.
    239. Gresham, Ore.
    240. Charleston, S.C.
    241. Tempe, Ariz.
    242. Lynn, Mass.
    243. Lafayette, La.
    244. Newport News, Va.
    245. High Point, N.C.
    246. Fort Worth, Texas
    247. Salt Lake City, Utah
    248. Jacksonville, Fla.
    249. Portland, Ore.
    250. Los Angeles
    251. Victorville, Calif.
    252. Bellflower, Calif.
    253. Glendale, Ariz.
    254. New Bedford, Mass.
    255. Pomona, Calif.
    256. Racine, Wis.
    257. Aurora, Colo.
    258. Elizabeth, N.J.
    259. Rialto, Calif.
    260. Savannah, Ga.
    261. Paterson, N.J.
    262. Seattle
    263. Albany, Ga.
    264. Southfield, Mich.
    265. Lancaster, Calif.
    266. Waco, Texas
    267. Fresno, Calif.
    268. Killeen, Texas
    269. Greensboro, N.C.
    270. San Francisco
    271. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
    272. Durham, N.C.
    273. Fort Smith, Ark.
    274. Tallahassee, Fla.
    275. South Bend, Ind.
    276. Lansing, Mich.
    277. Federal Way, Wash.
    278. Huntsville, Ala.
    279. Albuquerque, N.M.
    280. Visalia, Calif.
    281. Winston-Salem, N.C.
    282. Providence, R.I.
    283. Everett, Wash.
    284. Davenport, Iowa
    285. Hammond, Ind.
    286. Roanoke, Va.
    287. Norfolk, Va.
    288. Fayetteville, N.C.
    289. Kent, Wash.
    290. Akron, Ohio
    291. St. Paul, Minn.
    292. Wilmington, N.C.
    293. Portsmouth, Va.
    294. Oklahoma City
    295. Columbia, S.C.
    296. Canton, Ohio
    297. Knoxville, Tenn.
    298. Montgomery, Ala.
    299. Allentown, Pa.
    300. North Las Vegas, Nev.
    301. Beaumont, Texas
    302. Las Vegas, Nev.
    303. Denver
    304. Yakima, Wash.
    305. Syracuse, N.Y.
    306. Longview, Texas
    307. Pittsburgh
    308. Tucson, Ariz.
    309. Bridgeport, Conn.
    310. Inglewood, Calif.
    311. Pompano Beach, Fla.
    312. Albany, N.Y.
    313. Phoenix
    314. Boston
    315. Chattanooga, Tenn.
    316. Tampa, Fla.
    317. Jersey City, N.J.
    318. Milwaukee
    319. Miami Beach, Fla.
    320. Indianapolis, Ind.
    321. Shreveport, La.
    322. Sacramento, Calif.
    323. St. Petersburg, Fla.
    324. Tacoma, Wash.
    325. Houston
    326. Columbus, Ohio
    327. Miami
    328. Baton Rouge, La.
    329. Charlotte, N.C.
    330. Jackson, Miss.
    331. Toledo, Ohio
    332. Macon, Ga.
    333. Nashville, Tenn.
    334. Rochester, N.Y.
    335. Tulsa, Okla.
    336. Stockton, Calif.
    337. Hartford, Conn.
    338. Dallas
    339. Miami Gardens, Fla.
    340. Buffalo, N.Y.
    341. Springfield, Mass.
    342. Kansas City, Kan.
    343. Philadelphia
    344. West Palm Beach, Fla.
    345. Minneapolis
    346. Dayton, Ohio
    347. Orlando, Fla.
    348. San Bernardino, Calif.
    349. Little Rock, Ark.
    350. Newark, N.J.
    351. Reading, Pa.
    352. North Charleston, S.C.
    353. Washington
    354. Cincinnati
    355. Atlanta
    356. Kansas City, Mo.
    357. Richmond, Va.
    358. Trenton, N.J.
    359. Memphis, Tenn.
    360. Baltimore
    361. Richmond, Calif.
    362. Gary, Ind.
    363. Youngstown, Ohio
    364. Oakland, Calif.
    365. Cleveland
    366. Birmingham, Ala.
    367. Camden, N.J.
    368. Compton, Calif.
    369. Flint, Mich.
    370. Detroit
    371. St. Louis

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• Best Energy Saving Gizmo: Smart Strip Power Stirp
• Best E-Books: Audible
• Best Chef's Knife: Misono UX10 Gyuto
• Best Last-Minute Travel Site: Site59
• Best Airfare Site: Kayak.com
• Best Luxury Hotel Site: Priceline.com
• Best Train Experience: The Rocky Mountaineer
• Best Stemware: Schott Zwiesel Tritan
• Best Tennis Racquet: Flexpoint Radical
• Best Dark Chocolate: Felchlin's Cru Sauvage
• Best Steak: Lobel's
• Best Flowers: Flowerbud.com
• Best Wrinkle-Free Shirts: Brooks Brothers
• Best Walking Sneakers: New Balance 843
  
• Best Crab Cakes: The Crab Place

Now that's a complete list!

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