We’re in the final stages of a home renovation, so I’ve been getting my ducks in a row to refinance.  While reviewing my homeowner’s insurance policy online, I noticed a short note State Farm had left for me on my policy page that said something like “we can save you a large amount of money; call us today!”  Admittedly I am always skeptical of such offers, but I decided to pick up the phone and call my agent anyway.

Turns out we were paying over $800 extra annually for a $1000 deductible policy (versus the typical 1% deductible policy most homeowners choose).  In our case a 1% deductible means we’d be responsible for roughly $4k out of pocket should we have to file a claim.  My back-of-the-napkin math showed this to be a no-brainer decision…we will end up saving the $3k difference in under 4 years.  And then it’s all gravy after that…($800 buys a lot of gravy!)

My very helpful State Farm rep then made me aware of two other potentially unneeded items we had on our policy that were costing us roughly $250 each per year.  These dealt with slow leak water issues (as opposed to sudden pipe bursts, which are covered under the general policy).    I called my most trusted advisor (Dad) and decided to drop these from our policy as well.

And just like that, within 30 minutes I had given my family a $1300 annual raise!  Thanks, State Farm!!

Here are a few more tips for saving on homeowners insurance:

Shop Around
Get rate quotes from several different companies. This is one of the most effective ways to save big bucks.

Choose One Company…and Stick With Them
Not only do insurance companies give discounts for having both your homeowners and auto coverage with them, but most companies also offer further discounts if you’ve been with them for 3 years or more.

Insure Your Home, Not the Land
The land your house sits on will likely be just fine despite any catastrophic events that may occur to your home (fire, wind, hail, etc…). Don’t include the value of the land when calculating how much coverage you need to purchase.

I wrote last December about my experiment in ditching DirecTV to save $100 a month.  In the months since my family and I have been relying mostly on free, over-the-air HD TV channels and the awesome Boxee PC software.  Not surprisingly, we’ve found there’s still plenty of TV watching at our fingertips.

Yesterday, the LA Times reported on an upcoming offering from Hulu called Hulu Plus that should make streaming TV via the Internet even better. Details are vague, but for $9.95 a month, subscribers will gain access to a more comprehensive catalog of popular TV shows.

What would really make this service shine is if subscribers could gain access to shows as they are airing or at least later that same night.  And while I’m adding items to my wishlist, it’d be great if Boxee’s Hulu app allowed better HD streaming functionality.

Check out our great HDTV deals!

We’re renovating our house and have moved into a rental for the next six months or so. I decided to do a little experiment and ditch my long-time cable TV provider, DirecTV.  We were spending over $100 a month for one of DirecTV’s zillion-channel packages (of which we watched maybe 10 on a regular basis).  After doing much research online, I decided on the following setup in our living room.

I Want My Free TV

Here in Dallas we can catch over 30 channels over-the-air using a cheap antenna…and 13 of these are in HD!  So right now my $2000 HDTV has an antenna proudly perched on its top.  Getting NBC, Fox, ABC and CBS over-the-air takes care of probably 90% of the shows we watch.  Your mileage may vary regarding OTA reception.  In many cases an external-mounted antenna may be required to get decent reception.

Boxee to the Rescue

To help bridge the satellite TV gap, I’m running free software called Boxee on my desktop PC.  Boxee is an amazing program that allows users to access multiple Internet video and music sites, and to bring them to a large monitor or television.  I’ve placed my PC just around the corner from our living room and am running a 15ft DVI to HDMI cable from the PC to our TV.  Boxee also gives us a great interface to access all the photos, video and music on our PC hard drive, along with a wide range of television shows, movies and songs from sites like Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, CNN.com and CBS.com.

This evening, Boxee announced it is releasing a set-top box in 2010.  This product will bring Boxee to the masses and is likely going to sell like hotcakes.

DVR or Die

So far the biggest drawback of our new setup has been the lack of a DVR/Tivo.  Not having the ability to fast-forward through commercials has been pretty frustrating.  And having to actually watch programs when they air has been a bit of a challenge as well. My wife and I were joking we didn’t even know what day of the week most of the shows we watch air.  There is yet another free solution to this problem though.  It’s called MythTV.  This software requires a bit more setup (including the installation of some relatively inexpensive PC accessories); but being the computer geek that I am, I’ll probably have that up and running in the next few weeks.

Can I Live Without ESPN??

Another major drawback is the lack of the 5+ ESPN channels we were getting from DTV.  I’m a college sports fanatic, so this is a pretty huge void for me.  ESPN360 does provide a decent amount of live programming, but it’s no replacement for ESPN and ESPN2. I guess I’ll be heading to friends’ houses for any major ESPN broadcasts.

Has anyone else ditched their cable/satellite provider?  Let us know in the comments.  I’ll keep you updated on how this setup works out for us.

2009 Christmas Shipping Deadlines

• Don’t wrap your gifts until after you’ve arrived at your destination. TSA officers will open wrapped packages if X-ray machines show anything inside that looks suspicious.

• Never put valuables, such as jewelry, expensive cameras or laptops, in checked luggage. Instead, put them in a carry-on bag (and make sure the carry-on is within size limits).

• Bottles of liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on bags must be 3.4 ounces or less. And all of your bottles must fit in a quart-size, zip-lock plastic bag.

• The busiest travel days according to the Air Transport Association are, in order: Monday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 30), Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29), Friday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 20) and Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 25).  So plan ahead and allow extra time in the parking garage, at the ticket counter, security checkpoints and gates.

Are you ready to save some major cash?  If your large gift list is stressing you out, follow these tips for stretching your dollar and getting the most bang for your buck:

1. Shop the clearance racks of discount department stores first!  Stores like TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory, and Ross Dress for Less have a large selection of house wares at super discounts!
2. Shop backwards!  Buy smaller items first and larger items last.  The more you challenge yourself to save on the small stuff, the more you’ll have to spend on the larger items that may be more expensive.
3. Do the math! Research sales and promotions online before you hit the stores!  Be sure to check out coupon sites such as DeaLoco.com for leads to online sales, dollars off, and free shipping deals at your favorite stores.  Don’t forget to factor in the tax savings when shopping online…for larger items, this can be a substantial savings when paired with free shipping or percentage off offers.
4. Think upscale resale!  Spend an afternoon checking out local consignment and thrift shops in your area.  Look for vintage lamps and vases that compliment your décor.  Add your own personal touch by adding new shades, a splash of color, or a crafty twist that you can do with your kids!
5. Practice patience and shop off-season all year long!  Buy summer essentials in the fall and winter essentials in the spring.  By planning ahead, you can anticipate seasonal discounts up to 90% off.

Big in Japan, winners of the 2008 Google Android Challenge for their barcode scanning app, ShopSavvy, have finally gotten their award-winning app on the iPhone!

I’ve been playing with a beta copy for a few days now, and overall I am very impressed. The app isn’t perfect just yet, but the core functionality is superb. My only real gripe is the barcode scanning, which is a little hit-or-miss.  But, the Big in Japan team promises an update due out in the next two weeks will fix that.

Here’s how it works:

ShopSavvy is available for free in the App Store. Find it here.

1. Low-flush toilets
2. Filtered water bottles
3. Coin sorters
4. Electricity Usage Monitor
5. High-efficiency power supply
6. High-efficiency washing machines
7. Compact fluorescent light bulbs
8. Programmable thermostats
9. Efficient shower heads
10. Space Heaters

I’m not so sure about the coin sorters or high-efficiency washing machines, but otherwise this list looks pretty solid. Another item I would add is a tankless water heater. Depending on a few factors you can save up to 40% versus a traditional tank heater!  What household gizmos are paying dividends for you?  Tell us in the comments.

I just returned from five days in Walt Disney World with my 14-month old twin daughters.  Everyone we spoke with before we left thought we were crazy.  I thought we were crazy (the trip was my wife’s idea).  But not only did we survive, we had a blast. Here are some lessons learned.

1. Visit Orlando in the late September-October time frame. This is perhaps the only advantage of taking kids before they’re school age…so don’t even think about going when school is out! Our longest line was to see the Disney Princesses in Magic Kingdom…it was only 30 minutes.
2. Pack only enough diapers for one day of travel (carry-on in diaper bag and buy at the Kissimmee Wal-Mart)
3. Luggage scales are great for distributing clothes/souvenirs between suitcases
4. Choose a hotel with laundry facility on-site to avoid packing your baby’s entire wardrobe
5. If flying, have bottles ready to go before take-off – a bottle is a great way to prevent your baby’s ears from popping from the sudden cabin pressure change
6. A rental car is definitely not needed if you’re staying on Disney property…there’s no reason to ever leave the property if your kids are young enough to eat for free or even for cheap at the Disney restaurants
7. Mears Transportation offers comparatively low-cost shuttles from the airport to Disney-area hotels
8. Many shuttle services will provide a grocery stop (see tip #2)
9. In the Epcot resort area, I recommend pizza on the boardwalk…$20 meal that feeds 2-4.
10. Buy breakfast items that don’t require refrigeration at walmart (donuts, breakfast bars, etc..)
11. The Dolphin hotel’s Pantry Service is awesome!  Prices were super reasonable and included free delivery of items like milk, juice, soda, water, etc..
12. The food stands throughout Disney were less than great…but prices were quasi-reasonable and it’s very convenient
13. Check out the Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom…you can easily split the huge entrees here between 2 adults (and probably up to 4 kids!)
14. Dining off-property is too much of a hassle with infants
15. The Disney Dining Plan is excellent if you’re staying at a Disney-owned hotel (the Dolphin and Swan are owned by Starwood; and therefore, are ineligible)
16. Mom and dad can still enjoy the big kid rides.  One parent watches the kiddos in the stroller, while the other hops in the single-rider line…then swap
17. All Fast Pass lines were 10 minute max waits! (see tip #1)
18. We never made it back to the parks past 6pm to take advantage of the Extra Magic hours (available to guests staying on property)…this is not easy to pull-off with hungry/tired babies!
19. Disney provides shipping services at gift shop check-out counters…you can send either to your on-property hotel or directly home; pricing is dependent on the total dollar amount of your purchase
20. We saved about $20 by stopping off at a UPS Store on the way to the airport (the one advantage to our having a rental car on this trip!)
21. Get a stroller with a good recline – our girls napped in the stroller every day so we never had to return to the hotel room
22. A bright colored stroller stands out among the herd (I can’t imagine what this looks like in the busy season)
    
23. Rather than rent a stroller from Disney ($31 per day for a double stroller!), we bought one at a second-hand store for $100
24. Bottle leashes are a must-have