John Ruskin

I have a quote from John Ruskin hanging in my work cubicle and really hadn't heard of him previously.  So far this week, he has popped up on "What do you know?" and a web search.  Hmmm, guess I need to do some research on the English poet.

I'm saving this here as a means of jogging my memory to do this -

personal finance

By Alan Henry

Mar 27, 2012 4:30 AM

 

from Lifehacker - 

Double-Check Your Bill Every Month to Avoid Fees for Unwanted "Services"

It may seem like common sense at this point that you should thoroughly review your bills every month before paying them, but in an age of automatic bill payment where our expenses are paid without us ever seeing the statements, the blog Five Cent Nickel explains why we should look at our statements, even if they're automatically paid: most companies consider it the customer's responsibility, and aren't afraid to say so.
The post was inspired by the author's upgrade to a new iPhone 4S back in January, at which time an AT&T rep must have signed him up for everything from roadside assistance to lost phone insurance. Unfortunately, because he hadn't been reviewing his bill every month and the full amount due is automatically deducted from his checking account, it wasn't until his March bill that he caught the new charges. He managed to get out of the plans and get the back fees refunded, but not without a snide comment from the customer service rep reminding him that AT&T considers it the customer's responsibility to review their statements and notify the company if there are any inaccuracies.
It may sound unreasonable, but most companies operate this way, and aren't afraid to tell you so in their documentation, when you call them for help, or on your bills and on their web site. The moral of the story is that even if you have your bills automatically paid, it's worth sitting down for a few minutes every month and reviewing your paid statements, just to make sure you didn't pay a fee or new charge you weren't anticipating—if you catch something, call the company right away.
Do you review your bills every month before you pay them? Do you use automatic bill payments and never see the statements? Share your money management tips in the comments.

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Fairy Gardens & Leprechauns: April 7, 2012 / Ohio Herb Education Center The class will bring fairy tales to life... http://tinyurl.com/cf3ljzz

BioFuels boost urged by US Navy Secretary

Bloomberg.com
March 20, 2012 By Benjamin Haas, Bloomberg News
U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said he’s working to boost use of biofuels and other forms of renewable energy by the armed forces because falling behind on the technology raises security risks for the nation.
“The risk is that other countries get ahead in those technologies, and they’re producing the jobs and not us,” Mabus said at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in New York today. “I don’t want to trade oil from overseas for biofuels from overseas. I don’t want to fall behind.”
The Navy spends $45 billion a year on fuel and is considering ways to use renewables as an alternative to oil. Each $1 increase in the cost of a barrel adds $31 million to the Navy’s energy bill, he said. The Navy will use a 50 percent blend of biofuels at war games near Hawaii in July, Mabus said.
“We’re absolutely confident that if we bring a market here, biofuel costs will come down and become competitive with fossil fuels,” Mabus said.
The U.S. imports about half its oil from overseas, according to the Energy Information Agency.
“We’re trying to drive down our exposure to energy-price fluctuations,” Mabus said. “We’re only doing this to be better war fighters.”
U.S. Navy Wants To Increase Use Of Biofuels By Armed Forces