Are you tired of paying Verizon or AT&T large sums of money annually to have a cell phone? I sure am, so I stopped doing it. Last month I had three phones on a Verizon cell phone plan; my daughter’s iphone and two 5 year old LG Cosmos slide phones. Our bill after taxes was $161.00 per month or $1932.00 per year! I decided to start shopping around. My daughter has 4 months left on her contract but my wife and I are free and clear from the chains of Verizon.
I used Google to locate and review several options from Net10, Straight Talk, Ting and Page Plus. After reviewing all the options I decided to switch to Page Plus Cellular. Page Plus Cellular is on the Verizon network and so far I am extremely happy with the plans that I have chosen and the customer service. I have my wife on the $12.00 per month plan. Yep, $12.00 per month! No taxes, no fees, no hidden charges! What a concept. She gets 250 minutes, 250 texts and 10mb of data. 10mb of data is plenty for the non-smart phone user. She can send voice tags and pictures via texting and she has no complaints about the service. I picked up a two year old Droid from a friend and signed up for the $29.95 plan. I get 1200 minutes, 3000 texts and 500mb of data. Again, $29.95 with no taxes, no fees and no hidden charges! My switch to Page Plus has been problem free. The service and coverage is the same as what I had with Verizon just much less expensive. Page Plus Cellular has many other options should you need more data or more minutes.
I have contacted Page Plus Cellular several times via the phone and online chat. Every contact has left me happy and with all of my questions answered. The $12.00 and $29.95 plan last for 30 days. After that the plan expires or you can renew it by calling or accessing the Page Plus website. This process is super easy. You can also “stack” an additional month or more on your account so when the month is up the system will pull from another month that you have already purchased.
Another option for limited use cell phone owners is the 120 day plan. Plans as little as $10.00 that last for 120 days. This is the perfect plan for a grandparent or anyone that hardly ever uses a phone but wants to have you for emergencies. Phones can be purchased from Page Plus should you need a new one. The phone is yours as soon as you purchase it and there are no strings attached or expensive 2 year contract. I love Page Plus Cellular and I am sure you will too!
Fixing Gas Grill Problems
Have you ever started up your outdoor gas grill and found that after a few minutes of heating up, the temperature just hasn't risen to the level you would expect? Periodically, this has happened to me, and after doing all of the normal check to ensure that the grill is clean and the tank is adequately full, you're left with very little option. This is particularly interesting, when you've recently BBQ'd and the problem didn't exist two days prior or reoccurs every once in a while.
I ended up with this exact scenario and it had me thinking, why don't I do a quick YouTube search to see if anyone else has had this occur to them and see if a solution exists. Within a couple of searches, I found @simplecommentary who describe my problem and the solution down to the wire. Take a look:
Now, how about that! Strangely, it seems that the problem was related to how fast the valve is opened on the tank. I say this, because I usually just spin it open and do not give it another thought and 99% of the time, it's not an issue. Although, sometimes it does and to solve this problem, I simply followed the instructions below:
I ended up with this exact scenario and it had me thinking, why don't I do a quick YouTube search to see if anyone else has had this occur to them and see if a solution exists. Within a couple of searches, I found @simplecommentary who describe my problem and the solution down to the wire. Take a look:
Now, how about that! Strangely, it seems that the problem was related to how fast the valve is opened on the tank. I say this, because I usually just spin it open and do not give it another thought and 99% of the time, it's not an issue. Although, sometimes it does and to solve this problem, I simply followed the instructions below:
- Turn off the gas on the tank
- Disconnect the line from the tank
- Open the valves on the grill and wait a minute
- Close the valves on the grill
- Connect the line to the tank
- Slowly, very slowly turn on the gas
- Test by lighting one of the burners
Sifting Through Trail Mix
At one of my local grocery stores, Winco Foods, there is a significant bulk foods section, which has a number of various trail mix types, including traditional to more exotic mixtures and varying prices. Today, I grabbed a selection of four and thought I'd share a little bit about them.
4 Trail Mixes
Super Deluxe Trail Mix Ingredients
Raisins
Pinepple
Peanuts
Papaya
Dates
Apricots
Ingredients
Honey Roasted Peanuts
Honey Glaze
Pineapple
Peanuts
Papaya
Dates
Apricots
Coconut
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
Mt. Hood Trail Mix
Ingredients
Toffee Peanuts
Yogurt Raisins
Yogurt Peanuts
Chocolate Peanuts
Coconut
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
Mt. Rainier Organic Trail Mix
Ingredients
Cranberries
Raw Sunflower Seeds
Raw Almonds
Raw Cashews
Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Raisins
Now, taking a look at these trail mixes, you'll see that some are a probably considered healthier than others. I prefer the Mt. Hood mix when I'm looking for something sweet, but I wouldn't recommend that as a health recommendation just because it's labeled as a trail mix. Some of the benefits of a trail mix are obtaining a quick snack to provide energy in the form of proteins, fats and sugars when energy stores are low. Getting a solid snack with almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and sugars from friuts and a boost from chocolate can give you the energy needed to continue that last mile or recover some before moving on to your next game plan.
Have a look at your favorite store and see what is offered in bulk; it is often quite a better deal than finding the packaged products on the cereal or health food aisles. Enjoy!
Costco Kirkland Signature Coffee
Several years ago I started my quest to brew a great tasting consistent cup of coffee at home every morning. I was tired of making a fresh pot of coffee that smelled great but tasted as though it was filtered through my gym socks. So I started my quest at the supermarket trying all of the normal offering; Yuban, Folgers, MJB, etc. I carefully measured and charted the amounts of coffee that I used for each pot as I worked my way through the supermarket offerings. I never found a consistent pot. So the next step was whole bean coffee including Millstone, Kivu, Starbucks, etc. At this point Starbucks was the frontrunner albeit at $12.99 per pound, so my search continued.
Enter Costco Wholesale. While I was in the middle of my research Costco started offering whole bean coffee. So I worked my way through every type of whole bean coffee offered by Costco. Many tasted good at first but the consistency was not there. I would have a great pot on Monday but the next two pots on Tuesday and Wednesday would not taste as good.
My last great hope was Costco Kirkland Signature pre-ground 100% Columbian coffee in the 3 pound can. It took me a couple of weeks to test this coffee. As I worked my way through the quest for the perfect amount of grounds to make the perfect cup, my wife and I were both getting excited. Why? Because we were enjoying almost every pot as we worked our way through the process of adjusting the amount of grounds in each pot. Some pots might be weak or strong, but the rich coffee taste was there without bitterness. We found our coffee! 
So here I sit 4 or 5 years later and we are still enjoying a great cup of coffee every morning. I use a Cuisinart pot from Costco set on Medium heat. I scoop 2 rounded (not heaping and not level) ¼ cup scoops of grounds and place them in the white cone filters purchased at Costco. Every morning, every day, every can produces a consistent delicious cup of Joe. The best part? Right now a three pound can is $9.99, or $3.33 per pound. I dare you to find a better deal than that! This price varies for $8 to $15 depending on the current coffee market.If you are looking for a great cup of coffee look no further that Costco. (by the way, Starbucks roasts this Costco) Shhh. It’s a secret.
Celebrity Cruise vs Royal Caribbean Cruise
In January of this year we cruised on the newest Celebrity Cruise ship the Celebrity Reflection. We had so much fun enjoying this new ship. It was beautiful from bow to stern. The décor throughout the ship was very nice and the food was outstanding. This was our first cruise on a Celebrity cruise. Previously we have cruised with Royal Caribbean five times, with complete satisfaction. We decided to try Celebrity this time and see how it compares to RCCL.
The service was good but not exceptional. It seemed to lack the attention to detail that we have experienced on our RCCL cruises. Since Celebrity is advertised as a premium cruise I guess I had high expectations. Don’t get me wrong, the service was good, just not as good as I expected.
We met a great Jamaican bartender on the first day while lying in the sun named Vinroy. He took good care of us throughout the cruise. So good in fact that I tipped him above the automatic gratuity of 15% added to each drink purchase. Vinroy offered us a deal on a bucket of beer; six beers, any kind, for the price of five beers. We told him we would be in the same lounge chairs every day and would only buy from him if he would do six beers for the price of four. It was a deal! What a great time we had lying in the sun drinking ice cold beer.
Everything else, entertainment, amenities, etc., was in line with what I expected.
What didn’t I like? Well, there seemed to be less to do during the day than on RCCL. No rock climbing wall, inline skating, etc. If you are looking for a more active vacation you need to look elsewhere. If you like to read and need some peace and quiet, it would be perfect. Also, the average age of the passengers was much older than us (45). It didn’t matter much because we brought our own friends along with us. Had we gone alone it may have been an issue.
So the question is “Will I go on Celebrity or RCCL next time?”
I think we will be going back to Royal Caribbean the next time we cruise. We live a more active lifestyle and like the daily activities offered with RCCL. The food has always been great on Royal Caribbean and the service is as good as or better than Celebrity. Plus RCCL is 20% less than Celebrity.
If you have been on Royal Caribbean I suggested sticking with them. Overall, Royal Caribbean is a great value and you will not be disappointed with the service or experience.
Our meals in the dining room were so good that was never even considered trying one of the fancy “fee” restaurants. Each night the dinner menu had a wide selection of fish, chicken and beef to choose from. One night I ordered the roast turkey dinner which was a full Thanksgiving dinner with sweet potatoes, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberries, and green beans. It couldn’t have been better and the portions were very large.
We enjoyed breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria style buffet restaurant. The food was exceptionally good considering it was buffet style. I think their trick is to serve very small buffet portions so the food is always fresh. Every day in the afternoon there was sushi available and we ate our fair share of that!
Everything else, entertainment, amenities, etc., was in line with what I expected.
What didn’t I like? Well, there seemed to be less to do during the day than on RCCL. No rock climbing wall, inline skating, etc. If you are looking for a more active vacation you need to look elsewhere. If you like to read and need some peace and quiet, it would be perfect. Also, the average age of the passengers was much older than us (45). It didn’t matter much because we brought our own friends along with us. Had we gone alone it may have been an issue.
So the question is “Will I go on Celebrity or RCCL next time?”
I think we will be going back to Royal Caribbean the next time we cruise. We live a more active lifestyle and like the daily activities offered with RCCL. The food has always been great on Royal Caribbean and the service is as good as or better than Celebrity. Plus RCCL is 20% less than Celebrity.
If you have been on Royal Caribbean I suggested sticking with them. Overall, Royal Caribbean is a great value and you will not be disappointed with the service or experience.
Comcast vs. Centurylink - Internet Reliability
About 6 months ago I switched my home phone and Internet service from Centurylink to Comcast. I was completely happy with my Centurylink service before switching. In fact, for the 4 years that I had Centurylink service I did not have any issues with the reliability of the phone or Internet. I switched to Comcast purely for the price and the bundle offered with Comcast.
After switching to Comcast I had a few start up issues that were mainly infrastructure problems with my home. Comcast sent a technician out and he got things squared away and I was up and running. The first thing I noticed was the increase in speed. I was completely satisfied with my decision.
After about 1 month I started to have reliability problems. First the phone would not work. I called Comcast India, India the country, and they told me to unplug the modem for 10 minutes and see if that would reset everything. It worked. The problem was this started happening every 7 to 10 days. It might be the phone or it might be the Internet. I would shut everything down and let it reset and things would be back to normal. Then after a few months that wouldn't fix the problem anymore. I would have to call Comcast India and they would ping my modem, rest passwords, run tests, etc. This process would get me back up and running but only temporarily.
With a daughter in College the reliability of my Internet connection is important. After months of fighting the reliability issue I called Comcast and demanded that they come to my home and figure things out. After a lot of testing by the Comcast technician he couldn't find any problems with access, cable ot modem. I demanded that he swap the modem and he did, although he speculated that the modem was not the problem. It has been 4 weeks and we have not had any problems. Maybe it was a bad modem? I don't know. I will monitor things closely and if I have additional problems, I will post another blog entry.
After switching to Comcast I had a few start up issues that were mainly infrastructure problems with my home. Comcast sent a technician out and he got things squared away and I was up and running. The first thing I noticed was the increase in speed. I was completely satisfied with my decision.
After about 1 month I started to have reliability problems. First the phone would not work. I called Comcast India, India the country, and they told me to unplug the modem for 10 minutes and see if that would reset everything. It worked. The problem was this started happening every 7 to 10 days. It might be the phone or it might be the Internet. I would shut everything down and let it reset and things would be back to normal. Then after a few months that wouldn't fix the problem anymore. I would have to call Comcast India and they would ping my modem, rest passwords, run tests, etc. This process would get me back up and running but only temporarily.
With a daughter in College the reliability of my Internet connection is important. After months of fighting the reliability issue I called Comcast and demanded that they come to my home and figure things out. After a lot of testing by the Comcast technician he couldn't find any problems with access, cable ot modem. I demanded that he swap the modem and he did, although he speculated that the modem was not the problem. It has been 4 weeks and we have not had any problems. Maybe it was a bad modem? I don't know. I will monitor things closely and if I have additional problems, I will post another blog entry.
Best Men's Tees
Nothing beats wearing a favorite pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee shirt. If you are looking to get rid of your grungy old graying t-shirts that you've been using for lawn mowing, running, and the occassional undershirt, I recommend picking up a fresh premium t-shirt from Costco. The Kirkland Signature Men's Premium T-shirt is a great shirt, and the quality by far outshines that of the Gap, Old Navy, Hanes, or any of the store brands offered by Target, Walmart or Fred Meyer to name a few.
The Kirkland Signature Premium Tee is 100% Pima Cotton, which is considered to be one of the superior blends of cotton and is extremely durable and absorbent according to WiseGeek.com. All aspects of these shirts indicate quality from the thread count down to the stitching. As with most cotton clothing, it is recommended to wash in cold water and dry on low heat in order to increase the overall life and reduce the harsh wear caused by the washing cycle. The shirts at Costco run approximately $12 each, which is about 3 times the cost of your Hanes shirt at Walmart, though I say after buying many Hanes tees, you get what you pay for.
To reduce your cost, locate a liquidation center that specializes in obtaining returned items or items that are unsold at Costco warehouses. In Spokane, you will find Spokane Discount, where you can purchase the Kirkland Tees for up to 70-80% off the listed price, bringing your total each shirt closer to $3-4, which for the quality is a great deal. Be careful when searching through that you don't pick up an item that is permanently stained or has a hole, which can happen in the large quantity of liquidated products.
All-in-all, the Kirkland Signature Premium T-shirt is a great product that is highly recommended. A follow up will be written after a few months to address the overall wear and any discoloration that may be seen, in order to provide additional information to the reader on the lasting quality of the product.
The Kirkland Signature Premium Tee is 100% Pima Cotton, which is considered to be one of the superior blends of cotton and is extremely durable and absorbent according to WiseGeek.com. All aspects of these shirts indicate quality from the thread count down to the stitching. As with most cotton clothing, it is recommended to wash in cold water and dry on low heat in order to increase the overall life and reduce the harsh wear caused by the washing cycle. The shirts at Costco run approximately $12 each, which is about 3 times the cost of your Hanes shirt at Walmart, though I say after buying many Hanes tees, you get what you pay for.
To reduce your cost, locate a liquidation center that specializes in obtaining returned items or items that are unsold at Costco warehouses. In Spokane, you will find Spokane Discount, where you can purchase the Kirkland Tees for up to 70-80% off the listed price, bringing your total each shirt closer to $3-4, which for the quality is a great deal. Be careful when searching through that you don't pick up an item that is permanently stained or has a hole, which can happen in the large quantity of liquidated products.
All-in-all, the Kirkland Signature Premium T-shirt is a great product that is highly recommended. A follow up will be written after a few months to address the overall wear and any discoloration that may be seen, in order to provide additional information to the reader on the lasting quality of the product.
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