green living, smart spending
Some of my fondest childhood memories are the family road trips we took each summer. Yours, too. probably. While the cars and the roads have changed, the basics have not. With low gas prices, aid air travel expensive and frustrating, 2017 will see the return of the road trip. Here are timeless tips for making
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Everyday, it seems, we hear about hacking, identity theft or some other invasion of our digital privacy. Here’s how to protect your online life from cyber criminals on the road, because vacations are not the time to relax your personal safety, which includes taking internet security precautions. Before You Go Patch Up. Check all your
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De-icing chemicals used to clear roads of winter snow and ice cost US drivers some $3 Billion a year in repairs to brakes and paint damaged by the corrosive road salt and liquid chemicals.
If your US Passport is expiring in 2017, renew it now to save time and money. Ditto if you are getting a new US Passport. The busy season for applications starts soon, and the longer you wait, the longer it will take to get your new travel document. That delay could prevent you from entering
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Now that your home is getting smarter, with internet-connected heating and cooling, webcams to check on the baby and babysitter, lock or unlock your door remotely, it’s more important than ever to keep hackers out. These tips will help keep the digital version of breaking-and-entering from creating mayhem, even endangering the health and safety of
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Travelers can fight sex trafficking during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month (January) by taking a photo of your hotel or motel room and uploading it to a free anti-trafficking app. According to UNICEF, 5.5 million children worldwide are trafficked each year. Here’s how you can help lower that number: Photos uploaded with the
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Money matters. Nearly half of us give or get gift cards for the holidays, birthdays and other anniversaries. If you don’t like the store, restaurant or movie theater, you can sell that gift card for cash, and get anywhere from 65 to 95 cents on the dollar. Even losing up to 20 percent or more
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Vacation bound? An empty home or apartment is an invitation to burglars. Protect your home from burglars while you are away on vacation, or just away for the weekend, to avoid being one of the two million plus annual household burglary victims. According to the FBI, more than 65 percent of burglaries are residential break-ins.
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Here are some top tips from a road warrior (me) of what to do before you travel abroad, to save time, stress and money while you are on the road. It’s good advice for a first-time traveler, and a refresher for veteran travelers. Medical and Health Check the State Dept. Traveler Alert health page. Get
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We’ve all been hearing about airport security lines as long as three hours, causing people to miss their flights. But you can zip through airport security like a VIP with a “known traveler” card that gets you onto the expedited TSA PreCheck line. If you fly more than twice a year, you are a fool
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