DIY Life

I love this site: Get Rich Slowly. It's chock full of ideas that ordinary folk can relate to. Ideas to help you pay your bills, and also sock money away for future needs. Therefore, Get Rich Slowly blogger J.D. thinks it's bit of a waste to spend almost $70--yes: seventy hard-earned dollars--on budgeting guru Suze Orman's Ultimate Protection Portfolio.

The UPP is currently on backorder at The Suze Shop and priced a bit lower--at $58.74. Yet that's $58.74 (plus shipping) you're spending on what is basically an expertly-marketed expanding file! That's why J.D. recommends a low-budget DIY alternative. By assembling the components yourself, you'll save a bundle of cash, yet still enjoy the benefits of having all your important life and money-related documents in one, secure kit. This includes bank account information, your will, birth certificates, passport, and so on.

Thanks to the wonderful Lifehacker for putting me onto this tip!

My fabulous new laptop is all set up and running beautifully. My old laptop has been consigned to its temporary new home: the garage. There it shall stay until I get an opportunity to take it to an electronics collection event, which my city periodically holds. (It's the green way, people.)

Anyway, I may have been a bit hasty taking it straight to the garage. According to stuff I've been reading online, you should always retire your old computer. That is, before you toss it, recycle it, sell it, give it away, donate it to charity--whatever--it's recommended you carry out some basic steps first.

The following computer retirement tips come courtesy of everyone's favorite software behemoth, Microsoft:

Messy desks plague most home office - for those of you who are able to confine office type mess to the office. People with no time to tidy up, who end up spending more time looking for things then actually being productive. I think this is a particular problem for DIY types because we see potential in everything. My desk is full of interesting paper scraps that I'm sure I'll find a use for later. I have old magazines and shoe boxes just waiting to be re-purposed. In all of this chaos, my important papers remain unfilled and the backs of them scribbled with little notes, random phone numbers and endless 'to do' items.

When you consider that all this mess is affecting productivity it is time to make a change. This article encourages you to think about what you want from your space. Contemplating the characteristics of your ideal workspace will go a long way in helping you get there. Walking you trough this work space check-up you'll think about the relevance of various things you're keeping around and evaluate the most appropriate place for them.

I feel fresher and more motivated when I am happy with my workspace. I'll share some of my own suggestions after the jump.