Windshield Wiper Safety

Have you ever had a streaking windshield caused by a wiper blade that was getting old? Until you have time to get it changed, here's a tip to temporarily clear up the problem. Lyde Waitley, owner of Olsen Auto Repair in Livermore, suggests you wipe your wiper blades with an alcohol based hand wipe. You can use eyeglass wipes or even baby wipes.

Or, if on the road use the hand wipes from a fast food chicken restaurant. This should clear up your windshield for a little while until you have a chance to change your wiper blades. Clear sailing!

Hotel Room Discounts

The last time I booked a hotel room in Portland, Oregon, I got a very good deal and it didn't take me hours of shopping around. I already knew that calling the same hotel a few times, both at the 800 number and the local number, might turn up different rates. I also knew that I could get a discount with a AAA or AARP membership. The best price quote was $139 a night for a room with 2 queen-sized beds.

Just on a lark, I decided to try one last thing. I checked with the Portland's Visitors Bureau. They had a special for $109/night at the same hotel, which, unlike the other rate, included a complimentary breakfast for two and free parking (otherwise $20 per night). Whenever you're planning to visit a major city, take a peek at what the visitors' bureaus have to offer. You could end up with some extra bucks in your pocket for a night out on the town.

Carpet Cleaning

Every spring I get the carpets in my house thoroughly cleaned. While some people choose to clean their own carpets with rental equipment, most rug manufacturers recommend a truck-mounted hot water extraction method performed by a certified person. Murray Kahrnoff, of General Carpet, Upholstery and Area Rug Cleaning, says watch out for the advertised specials for carpet cleaning. Some companies use ridiculously low prices to get you to make an appointment, but it‚s a different story when they come out to do the job. Murray says you should be skeptical if a carpet cleaner promotes the "deep scrub" method or claims to use special rakes. This is just hype.

I like my carpet cleaner because he's honest about what he can't do, gives me advice on spot removal or buying rugs and gives me a carpet cleaning spray to remove spots between cleanings. Can you beat that?

Keeping ID Handy in Airports

If you've been in an airport since 9/11, you know about all the hoops that you have to jump through before you even get to the gate. The last time I flew, I was asked to show my identification a half a dozen times! In the confusion of removing clothing and opening bags for inspection, I misplaced my ID several times. Was it in my pocket or my wallet or at the bottom of my purse? I would panic until I laid my hands on it.

My advice is to cover the ID in plastic and hang it around your neck, the way some kids hang their bus passes. That way you can flash it as needed and know where it is at all times.

The Great Pre-Pay Question

Every time you rent a car, you're offered the pre-paid fuel option. You pay for a full tank ahead of time and the price per gallon is always less than market rates in the area. First, I jumped at the offer. However, when I turned in the car I realized I had only used one-quarter of a tank of gas!

So what if the price was competitive. I hadn't used three-quarters of the tank I had paid for. The last time I rented a car I was a little wiser. The prepaid fuel was $1.05 a gallon and the going rate was $1.50 in the area of the drop off. When I returned the van with its tank nearly empty I knew I had won the pre-paid fuel game.

Buying a Used Car? Critical Free Data

One of the many pitfalls in buying a used car is knowing whether the vehicle has passed the state's Smog Check test. You could end up with a car that needs costly repairs. Department of Consumer Affairs Director Kathleen Hamilton says help is now just a click away.

Now you can review a car's test history by entering its license plate number or its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) at the Bureau of Automotive Repair's website: www.smogcheck.ca.gov. If you find the vehicle hasn't passed the state's test, you can negotiate repairs with the seller or start looking for another used car.

Ivy, Mold and Southern Exposure

After paying thousands of dollars to have your house painted, what can you do to make the job last as long as possible? Harold Jagoda of J and D Painting warns to keep ivy off of your house because it can destroy about anything. Also trim back nearby trees. They can bring on mold prematurely and once you see mold, it's time to paint.

Finally, pay special attention to the southern exposure. That side takes a beating from the elements, so if you touch it up every few years, Harold says you'll lengthen the time the job lasts by 4-5 years.

Puzzling Over Pre-Paid Phone Calls

Are you fed up with paying too much for long-distance calls while traveling? Consumer Action's Linda Sherry says most pre-paid phone cards will save you money but the surcharges can add up. Use the card at a pay phone and you'll be charged an additional 24 to 75 cents.

Use the card to call a mobile phone and sometimes a different rate structure kicks in. Weekly and monthly maintenance fees are common. All these charges can eat up your minutes fast. Fees must be on the card itself or packaging, according to California law. The best deal I've found is the card sold at Costco.

Lights Out - Now What?

A few lights are out in your house. But some of your lights work so, there's not a power outage in your area. You know what to do: check the lightbulbs and outlets, check the circuit breaker, re-set it, and flip the switch back on. If your lights still don't work, don't call an electrician yet says Dave Lorber, owner of Superior Builders and Remodelers.

He recommends you try one last thing. Go back to the circuit breaker and push it hard to the "off" position before flipping it back on. Dave says that 75% of the time that's the problem. So, next time you're caught in the dark, double-check your circuit breaker to save yourself a service call.

Avoiding Junk E-Mails

When we set up our AOL account, we didn't have a special strategy in mind for minimizing unwanted e-mail advertising, but we inadvertently made a wise move. We chose a screen name as the master name on the account. No one planned to use that name for e-mail. Because AOL allows up to 6 screen names per account, we added four additional e-mail addresses under that same account. We quickly discovered that the add-ons don't get the junk mail the master screen name does.

Once a week I delete 50-60 ads for Viagra, free pornography and easy money. We do get a few ads on the other sub-accounts, mostly generated by our individual shopping and browsing, but I can live with that.

Don't Worry About Keeping Up with the Joneses

Just because the Jones family had a sit-down prime rib dinner for their daughter’s wedding that doesn’t mean you can’t opt for something else, like a wonderful hors d’oeuvres reception. The caterers say keep an open mind and let the professionals use their creativity. You should insist on a taste test before hiring a caterer. After all, you wouldn’t buy a car without a test-drive.  And tell the caterer about guests’ dietary restrictions. They can usually accommodate you with advance notice. Finally, many people forget that all the leftover food and beverages are yours after a catered event. Don’t be shy about asking for a very large doggy bag!

Low Flow, Oh No!

Low water pressure out of a kitchen or bathroom faucet is usually not a good sign. You think, "Uh-oh. Something's broken. Call the plumber." Before you panic, check one thing first. Unscrew the end of the faucet and clean out the aerator, the little screen that catches pebbles and sediment. This is something anyone can do, even if you're not too handy. You'd be surprised how often a clogged aerator is the culprit.

If you're looking for other ways to save on appliance repairs, check out Fix It Yourself for Less by Mort Schultz and Consumer Reports Books. I have had this book for years and it's saved me hundreds of dollars and many service calls.

Late Credit Card Payment = Double Whammy

This one could slip by you if you don't read your credit card agreements and statements carefully, and who does? Credit card companies are getting tougher on customers who make late payments. According to Liz Davidson, Founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Financial Finesse, if your payment is late, even by a day, you may not just get dinged with a late fee. Some creditors will also increase the rate you pay on your unpaid balances. These penalty APRs, as they're called, can be as much as 7% to 10% higher than the usual annual percentage rate. You could be punished for just a few billing cycles, or you may get stuck with the higher rate from then on. Credit card payers, beware!

Don't Be a Fool — Stay Cool

This is the time of the year to get your car's air conditioner checked out, even if it's not acting up. Most of the time all you need is a little preventive maintenance, Freon and oil, and it doesn't cost much. But if you unwittingly run the air conditioner without proper fluids, you can wreck the compressor, which costs about $900 to replace. Tim Johnson, owner of Dublin Car Tek, a Diamond Certified company, says air conditioning repair shops certified by ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) use the right equipment to evaluate your system and use the right fluids. Service technicians, who don't know what they're doing, sometimes use propane instead of Freon causing serious and expensive damage.

So You Want to Be a Star?

According to the San Francisco District Attorney, every Bay Area county is getting complaints right now about modeling agencies that promise more than they can deliver. They even prey on kids! They recruit in malls and tell you if you pay for classes, photos and pictures on a website, you can be famous. Quality modeling agencies don't charge you money up-front, and they don't make you buy your photos from them. They never make guarantees about getting modeling jobs either. The top talent agencies are all licensed and bonded through the State Department of Industrial Relations. Call (415)703-4846 or check www.dir.ca.gov/databases/dlselr/Talag.html.

Carpet Cleaning Myths

The first time I had my carpets steam cleaned, I was worried that they would be wet for days. Precision Cleaning Services' Owner Curt Holman says that's a common misconception. The truth is, if you hire a good technician who uses the right equipment, carpets should be dry within 4 to 8 hours. Another myth is that you should delay cleaning new carpets for as long as possible because they will never be as good as new again. Modern cleaning methods remove all residues and more frequent cleaning in fact extends the carpet's life. Finally, some consumers believe Scotchguarding is built into their carpets permanently. Fabric protection does wear off and needs to be renewed within 6 months to a year in high-traffic areas and every other year for the rest of your carpets.

Home Inspections – What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

When you make one of the biggest investments of your life, it's well worth it to hire a home inspector to report on the condition of the house. The fees generally range from $350 to $500, depending on square footage. According to a Diamond Certified Real Estate Broker, most home inspectors are generalists, not specialists, who go out of their way to identify major visible defects.

She suggests if you get a report saying the furnace is bad, for example, it may be worth it to pay a little extra for a furnace specialist to check things out. Sometimes, the problem can be easily resolved with a minor repair. Moore cautions against doing the inspection yourself or having a friend in the trades do it. It's too easy to miss big items such as chimney repairs and potential electrical code violations.