You probably keep a lot of stuff on your computer: tax information, music, and most importantly family photos.  That last thing you want is someone taking control of it and having access to those things.  But that’s a possibility with the latest computer threat, a worm called the Conficker C worm.  If it’s on your computer, on April 1st a master computer somewhere will be able to take over your computer. No one knows what will happen after that.  There are a few things you can you do to stay save.  First, make sure you have the latest Windows updates.  You can use this tool to check your computer. And finally make sure you have the latest virus updates for your scanning software for your computer.

Posted: March 26th, 2009 under Helpful Info, Show Notes.
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My wife and I don’t go to the movies very much anymore, especially now, when it feels like everything is tight as far as money goes.  That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy movies.  There are a lot of times we see a movie advertised and say “We should go see that”, but we usually don’t.  Instead, we’ve started making our own night at the movies, it just takes a little longer.  Last night for instance, my wife made hamballs (one of my favorite meals), and then on the way home, I swung by a Redbox on the way home and picked up a movie for a dollar.  Homemade food and a movie for a dollar is our type of movie night.

Posted: March 25th, 2009 under Life at the Lansers', Show Notes.
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It feels like a constant battle, especially right now, to cut costs and trim the budget.  It can be important to separate what you need from what you want.  One thing that falls into the need category is groceries. As I was thinking about that today, I called my wife and asked her what she did to save money when shopping for groceries and other need items.  Here’s some tips she gave me.

1. She puts together a menu of meals.  That way she buys only what she needs to put together those meals.  Vegetables don’t go bad if you’re using them in the next week.

2. She knows and compares prices.  She knows what frozen chicken breasts sell for at each store, so if it goes on sale at one store, she only gets it if she needs it and it’s cheaper then the cheapest place she can get it.

3. She finds deals and coupons.  She checks the newspaper for coupons and looks online.  One website she checks often is Money Saving Mom. Amy says the lady there posts deals and sales, sometimes helping her get things for super cheap or free.

Hopefully these tips can help you save money.  If you have tips of your own on how to save money, let me know below by leaving a comment.

Posted: March 24th, 2009 under Helpful Info, Life at the Lansers', Show Notes.
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I’ve asked that question a lot of times.  I’m standing there with the fridge door hanging open and wondering if I can still use that jar of salsa because I can’t remember when I opened it.  And right now, you hate to throw anything away, because that’s a waste of money.  It’s better to put everything to it’s best use.  But fresh foods and things that aren’t in containers don’t have a printed expiration date.  That’s where StillTasty comes in. It’s a website that lets you put the type of food or food item in the search box, and then the website lets you know how long it stays good.  Then it’s up to you to figure out when you opened it.  It could save you from paying to buy it over again.

Posted: March 24th, 2009 under Cool Websites, Helpful Info, Show Notes.
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When you’re in school, you don’t like it.  I know that I spent a lot of my school days wanting to be an adult and not have school and homework anymore.  But school days are behind us now.  But just because school is over, doesn’t mean we’re done learning.  I’ll even admit there were classes in college I wish I could’ve taken, but didn’t have the time.  And these days, who has the money to go back to school?  But if you’re still interested in learning, there is a way you can do it for free.  Check out Academic Earth; it’s a website that compiles videos of lectures from college professors across the country, even from places like Yale or MIT.  You get the experience of being in the classroom with an amazing teacher, and you don’t have to leave your desk.  Plus, it doesn’t cost you anything either.  Now there’s an economic education I can get behind.

Posted: March 24th, 2009 under Helpful Info, Show Notes.
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