Money, Love, and Change

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I mentioned that I was trying to rescue the old Dell from the blue screen of death.  I was pretty convinced that a virus was causing problems, but after running some diagnostics realized that the hard drive might actually be fried.  This really sucks because we don’t want to get another computer right now.

What I didn’t know (until yesterday) is that the old girl is still under warranty!  Four years ago, I was able to get a really nice Dell Inspiron 9100 through work, and I did not know that it came with a 4 year warranty (that will expire at the end of June).

I have called Dell Technical Support before, only to be continually frustrated by offshore communication issues.  This time, I contacted online Technical Support, and was pleasantly surprised.  After a brief chat, I am getting a new hard drive sent, and a Tech Support guy is coming to the house tomorrow to install new fans (this particular model is famous for having issues with overheating, which I have experienced firsthand).

After these issues are resolved, I’ll be contacting them again, since my CD/DVD burner died last year (might as well get a replacement while still under warranty) and I have a small red vertical stripe that runs down the right side of the screen (this is unacceptable only because this machine was optimized/purchased to handle graphics).  I have also read that some people with this model have been able to get replacements since their computer runs so hot (mine runs at about 70C when surfing the net!).

Overall, it is a great relief to know that we shouldn’t have to purchase a new computer anytime soon.  Perhaps I will consider upgrading the RAM (currently at 1GB) if everything starts to work.

Have you had any experience with Dell Technical Service online?  Has your experience been as good as mine?

Sorry - I went out of town this weekend, brought my computer, but forgot my AC adapter (Doh!).  I will be catching up on Entrecard today and tomorrow.

I am in the process of trying to rescue the old Dell from the blue screen of death.  Apparently the Trojan.Vundo virus has taken its toll?  I cleaned it multiple times, and then shut it down.  Now it won’t boot.  Good stuff!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Our stimulus check arrived last week. I just transferred about $540 to our emergency fund to bring it up to $5000 again. This was our first Dave Ramsey goal that I talked about in a previous post.  So it’s not official yet (since technically the money isn’t in the account), but it’s in the process!

It feels great, but I will feel better about it once I have secured another part-time work-at-home job to bring in income over the summer (I currently tutor online, and the hours will be decreasing soon). I don’t want to have obtained our goal only to dip back into the emergency fund a couple of months later!

Next, I need to update our accounts to see what we can put towards our high-interest student loan.

What were your plans for your stimulus check? Did you follow through with your plans?

There are a lot of short classes on a variety of topics available for free at Hewlett- Packard’s Learning Center. Topics include Windows Vista, Microsoft Office programs, networking, and general business skills. The classes usually run for 6 weeks, and there are forums to keep things interactive.

I have taken one course so far; I didn’t participate in the forums, but I found the information to be useful. I just signed up for a course on Flash animation (it starts on 8 May if you are interested). Just thought I would share in case you are looking to update some of your computer skills!

Wow - I wish I had heard of this sooner! With the rising costs of gas and food, I know of quite a few people who are having trouble making ends meet. Please let others know about this program - I am including information below that is taken directly from their website:

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States.

There are no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications.

Everyone is encouraged to participate. Some churches even encourage participants to apply the money they saved to help someone else in need.

Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month’s menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.

Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.

Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.

I checked out a sample menu on their site, and there is quite a nice spread! Although there is not a location near us, I know of a lot of people I am going to tell about this program (if it weren’t 2am, I would be on the phone with my gramama right now!).

If you have any experience with this program, I would love to know what you think!

I mentioned before that I ordered a MagicJack.  I would highly suggest not wasting your time with one.

After receiving ours, I followed the directions.  I couldn’t get a local number, so went with one in Pottstown PA - this was amusing to my friends when they looked at their caller ID.  I placed several calls, and all of them sucked.  It was like talking to that Max Headroom guy from the late 80’s.  Not only did the voices get digitized, but there was a lot of stuttering and cutting out.

Although it may work well for some, my main complaint was with the technical support.  I contacted them about 10 times, and it seemed like quite a few of them had no idea what was going on.  There were two incidents where they just decided to stop helping me and ended the call - here’s an example of the conversation:

“Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“Ummm, yeah.  The problem I contacted you with has not been resolved.  My reception is still horrible.  What other suggestions do you have?”

“Have a nice day and thanks for contacting MagicJack.  Good bye!”

Hmmmm… Also, some of the things they were having me do just seemed strange.  For example, I was told to uninstall Nero.  When I asked why, I was told that it caused issues.  When I asked what kind of issues, I was put on hold and then mysteriously disconnected.

I tried everything.  I uninstalled Nero, connected the computer I was using directly to the modem, tried different phones, and tried different locations within the house.  It still sucked.

I  did get my money back without any issues, so that is a plus.  If I were to suggest this product to others (which I probably would not), I would highly recommend not canceling your existing service until you know that it will work well for you.  Cheap phone service is useless if it doesn’t work!