financial zen

Well, by perusing some wordpress plug-ins from pro-blogger (a must read if you blog) I came across the answer to sites that unscrupulously steal your feeds (also called scraping).

Add a copyright message to your RSS feed! All with this plug-in - Angsuman’s Copyrighter Plugin. Really, I consider this plugin a must-have, especially once you start getting traffic and the “referrers” start coming in the form of “blah had a great post, here’s his content, and a link back. By the way, click on all my ads surrounding his entry to make me money.”

I recognize that feed-scrapers that do have link-backs aren’t necessarily evil- they aren’t phishing or stealing outright they’re just trying to make a quick buck off someone else’s writing spirit and soul. I liken them to pyramid schemes and Ponzi-artists - worthless, taking up bandwidth of the internet that would be better suited to a number of amiable bloggers out there.

Enough for my ranting - to my fellow bloggers fighting the scrapers, copyright your feeds!

As an aside, I’ve got some planned entries coming. Being a full-time father/worker/student/husband takes a toll, and it’s writing that suffers so that none of the others do!

It’s surprising how many people don’t realize what will cut your rates.

For my wife and I, we got our rates cut by a few factors:

1. We shopped around. Luckily, we’ve got a great agency we work with that ran the numbers and factors and scored us a payment that lowered our insurance by $100.
2. We increased our deductible. Both cars have $500 deductibles, and unfortunately we still need two cars (I’m researching the bus system - I’m being moved to a different building much closer to our home, but out of my wife’s way to work).
3. Having our renter’s and car insurance (and then our Home Owner’s Insurance) with the same company, we’re getting a discount.
4. Our credit scores are very good (well, mine is V.G. Hers is Excellent).
5. We’re getting miscellaneous discounts:
   *Being a paramedic, my wife has taken defensive driving courses - that equals a reduction in insurance!
   *My wife’s wreck from three years ago is going off her record = reduced rate for her!
   *I need to ask about AAA and being a good student - but I’m not sure if that will apply since it’s *my* insurance and not under my parents.

Thanks to this site I found this check list:

When you comparison shop, inquire about discounts for the following:*

[ ] $500 deductible
[ ] $1,000 deductible
[ ] More than 1 car
[ ] No Accidents in 3 Years
[ ] No Moving Violations in 3 Years
[ ] Driver Training Courses
[ ] Defensive Driving Courses
[ ] Anti-Theft Devices
[ ] Low Annual Mileage
[ ] Air Bags
[ ] Anti-Lock Brakes
[ ] Daytime Running Lights
[ ] Student Drivers with Good Grades
[ ] Auto and Homeowners Coverage with the Same Company
[ ] College Students away from Home
[ ] Long-Time Customer
[ ] Other Discounts

The key to savings is not the discounts, but the final price. A company that offers few discounts may still have a lower overall price.

*The discounts listed may not be available in all states or from all insurance companies.

For more information, call the National Insurance Consumer Helpline (NICH) at 1-800-942-4242

And naturally, after I do this, I stumble on these gems from the Consumerist:
10 Insurances You Don’t Need
DIY Title Search
Save On Insurance By Calling Around. Duh.
Pay Your Health Insurance Way Before It’s Due, A Cautionary Tale
HOWTO: Appeal Denial of Care