Air conditioning, toilets, hardware, and eBay

Wow. What a weekend. Toilet starting leaking. Bathroom door got stuck in the "locked and closed" position and while we were re-seating the toilet the air conditioning decided to shuffle off this mortal coil. (Like the coil pun :))

Anyway, I swear central air conditioning has many secrets that nobody seems to want to tell you without coming out and "taking a look". One more thing . . .people aren't real keen on "taking a look" on weekends. But, trustworthy eBay has an answer. Yes, you can buy a central air conditioning unit on eBay. I bet you didn't know that. :) Anyway, I've been writing to a very nice local "air conditioner surplus guy" who sells a lot through eBay, so it looks like we'll be able to get something figured out reasonably soon. I'm still convinced you meet the nicest people on eBay. Dad thinks that he can figure out the install. Let's hope so :)

So, if my blog seems sweaty and sticky you'll know why :)

Help me! My best friend is addicted to Craig's list!!

Okay, so my best friend who lives far far away from anywhere comes into town this weekend driving her brother's Ford F 250 with extended cab. To be honest I'm surprised she can see over the steering wheel, but I digress. So, why, do you ask, is my friend driving her brother's truck? I know, her car is broken and she really wanted to come see me? Nope. My best friend has picked up an addiction looking at my blog. Was it to the advertising? No. Was is to my exceedingly witty comentary? No. It was to Craig's list and she came to cities to pick up all of the furniture she had purchased site unseen. Wow. If you really must look at Craig's list, at least try to keep it local! Here's the link, but look at your own risk!

craigslist: minneapolis

(BTW, the link goes to Craig's list worldwide, not just Minneapolis)

The experiment is over . . .w/ Kari Byron

Well, any of you who have been following my life or Eric's blog know of our efforts and angst with advertising on our websites. I think at this point I'm deciding not to care - it's just taking too much mental energy. Maybe someday many many years from now somebody will send us a check. Maybe not. :( Even the experiment below has had no results. (Despite hundreds of people looking.) It's pretty funny from a marketing point of view though . . .

educating eric: Viagra and Cialis aren't needed with Kari Byron

Yay. Only 7% chance of a sibling with a peanut allergy.

Yay. Only 7% chance of a sibling with a peanut allergy. No Mom, this doesn't mean I'm pregnant. . .

Google Answers: Allergy Question

Gentle Naturals $2.00 Rebate for eczema cream or baby orajel

It's not that I've forgotten about the freebie part of this blog . . .I just haven't found any good freebies since the Pepsi rebate! Anyway, if eczema is your problem, I've had very good luck with Gentle Naturals baby eczema cream (I guess it works well for adults too.) Here's an online form for a $2 rebate.

Gentle Naturals $2.00 Rebate

Real Estate Investing

More than you ever wanted to know about real estate investing. Advertising, forums, the works!

Real Estate Investing

Bill Gates' fantasy?

Microsoft's new "Virtual Earth" has Apple being all but non-existant. Bill Gates' fantasy life coming through?
Did Microsoft Wipe Apple Off the Map?

Candela at 18 months -- no excema!

Candela18mo
Originally uploaded by emlarson.

Here's a fairly recent (18 mo) picture. (She's 21 months now, but not too many pictures . . . moving too much!) No excema! Now, the peanut allergy . . . :(

Candela at 7 months - enzymes help excema!

Candela-5-7-2004
Originally uploaded by emlarson.

One month later (and some enzymes added to her milk) and the excema is much better.

Age: 7 months

Candela 6 months and lots of (milk induced?) excema

Candela-6-7-2004
Originally uploaded by emlarson.

This is Candela when the (milk-induced) excema was pretty bad. (Red all over the face -- remember the picture was taken to DE-emphasize the excema) Age: 6 months

Large SUVs, pickups see resale value take tumble

Think you want an SUV? According to his you probably don't, but if you do . . .now is better time to buy than it's been in the past.

Large SUVs, pickups see resale value take tumble

Home prices, continued record low interest rates, and flipping

Wow. This bubble must be Bubbalious or Hubba Bubba or something a lot stronger than soap! I still wonder if people seeing really stupid people making a quick $100,000 flipping a house on Property Ladder is fueling some of this?? Nation-wide median property value up 14.7% . . .in one year!

Existing Home Sales Set Record in June

Can I add photos?

board4
Originally uploaded by emlarson.

This is basically a test to see if I can add photos to my blog . . . If I can, this is a washboard I have for sale. $12 and it's yours! :) If I can't, this is a very very boring post.

Allergies, money, and alternative treatment

Wow. Been researching this whole peanut allergy thing. Very scary. Luckily basically 0 kids under nine die from being allergic to peanuts, but a lot of that is because of the wide availability of the epipen. And, of course, any allergy where "most people don't die" is the encouraging part . . . Looks like we'll need to have an epipen or 2 around. My initial research says they're close to $50 a crack. Luckily if you're careful about getting new (fresh) ones they do last over a year. I'm not really sure what insurance will do. Since we have a $200 deductable probably not much unless we go the testing/allergist route. Right now I don't think we'll do the whole allergist thing. (Though I suppose Candela's doctor might convince us otherwise.) I guess about the only thing an allergist can do is confirm the allergy and prescribe drugs to control the symptoms. Well, Candela doesn't have any symptoms unless she's exposed to peanuts, so we don't need to control the symptoms. As far as confirming the allergy . . . I think I did a "challenge" when I presented her with peanut butter and she reacted. I really don't think I need a confirmaion . . .at least not at this stage of the game. I'm still seriously hoping she outgrows this (studies show 20-50% do - depending on which study you look at.) I think I might see what Mom's alternative doctor says too. Luckily with 3 good friends who are traditional doctors I should be able to double check the "first do no harm" principle on anything he says to do. . . I didn't think I'd be in this place so soon after dealing with the milk allergy. I guess that probably doesn't bode well for astma, etc. in the future, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it :)

Peanut Allergy --- Phase II

And now presenting phase II of research for Candela's allergy. These people have been through it all! (Nice too :))

Peanut Allergy

Look, now I can be your homepage!

You'll notice the new Google search engine box? So, now I can be your homepage! That thought probably scares most of you, but Mom be forwarned: Soon you'll either have to have me as your homepage or you'll have to figure out how to change it. Either way I win :)

ING DIRECT bank - Save Your Money!

ING bank goes to 3.15%. FDIC insured. No minimums. No fees. Send me your e-mail address and I'll send you an invite to get a $25 sign up bonus. (If you have kids each of them can open an account and get the $25 bonus too!)

ING DIRECT - Save Your Money!

Yes Virginia you can grill a frozen pizza too!

Yep. Actually grilled a Bernatello's natural rise frozen pizza today. Low heat 2 layers of Al foil on the bottom, an Al "tent" on the top. Actually tasted really good. It kind of scares me that I'm writing about grilling a frozen pizza . . . .

Google profit jumps on advertising growth

Google be makin' lots o money. . . .on adsense . . .

Google profit jumps on advertising growth

10 biggest mistakes of novice real estate investors

Oh goodie. More things to think about . . .

10 biggest mistakes of novice investors

Peanut allergy -- phase one . . .

I kind of thought I was done with this whole "mega research about an allergy thing." Oh well. Here's step one of my education about Candela's peanut allergy.

peanut allergy

Property Ladder and flipping with Kirsten Kemp

This is probably my favorite new show. It's about first time flippers -- what they do with their properties, what they do wrong (and right), etc. The scariest thing about this show is that it feature complete idiots making A LOT of money. That's a little scary . . . don't want to leave the impression that flipping is fool-proof. A wise person once said nothing is fool proof because fools are so ingenious . . .

TLC :: Property Ladder

Google and Candela's peanut butter allergy

Well, if you've been reading this blog at all lately you'll notice my ads are all allergies all the time. I guess Google has decided to no longer index this site (or at least isn't indexing it right now) so it's gone back to its allegies roots. I'm still not thrilled with this (I do write about more than allergies), but maybe Google ended up being a bit prophetic. My "Candela is allergic to peanut butter" suspecions from a couple of days ago have been confirmed I'm afraid. Yesterday I gave her some peanut butter on a rice cake. She hated it and didn't eat any of it, but she did get a little bit on her hands and face. The next thing I know I've got a little girl with a bunch of "mosquito bites". One problem . . .she was inside and there weren't any mosquitoes. Talking to one of my friends with allergies confirms the presence of hives. :( I guess I can be thankful that Candela hates peanut butter!

Avent bottles suck

. . .or don't suck . . .or don't allow sucking . . .or something. I got mine from a friend (and I'm very appreciative), so I can't complain to the manufacturer, but my Advent bottles leak -- fairly consistently. Not only that, all of my friends have Advent bottles that leak too. There's a whole culture revolving around how to avoid the leaks . . .make sure they're hot, make sure you twist on really tight, don't use the dishwasher, etc. The fact of the matter is that my cheap Evenflo bottles never leak . . .not even after going through the garbage disposal, but my expensive (retail at least) Advent bottles do. Don't moms of youngins have enough things comming out of their kids without worrying about a leaky bottle?

Free Paul Mitchell samples - supposedly worth $15

Free Paul Mitchell super-strong hair care products. Retail value of $15. Use magazine code STRONGTP

Paul Mitchell

Cleaning -- cheap and allergy free

My mom has a friend of her sister coming in to stay to with them. She's concerned about getting the house clean because her sister's friend has some pretty hard core allergies. So, without further discussion (I have no idea how to spell the French word that belongs in that space) here are Ruth's hints for cleaning without the nasty chemicals that come in most cleaning products. These methods are cheaper too!

1) Water really works well for a lot of things. If your water is really hard, used distilled water. Works great on floors and for dusting. A damp rag works wonders :) (Okay, don't use lots of water on unsealed wood floors, but who has those?) Combine water and a 3M magic cloth (yes, I'm partial to 3M . . .probably because I worked there all through college) and you've got your glass covered too. (Magic cloths also work great on scummy build up in bathrooms and hottubs. . . .Not that I'm ever looking for a cheap alternative to all the hottub care products you supposedly need . . .)

2) If you're temped to use something like oxyclean (blood, grass, non-oily organic things) try hydrogen peroxide. (Make sure its reasonably fresh . . . if you don't see any bubbling (esp with blood) get some new stuff.)

3) Vinegar works as a fabric softener (who'd a think it?). Also cleans hard water deposits, light rust, ovens, microwaves. Works well on odors too. (As long as it's something you can wash the vinegar out of when you're done :)) BTW, if you're cleaning your oven more than 2 times a year use a bigger pan! (Or at least put some Aluminum foil on the bottom to catch the drips!)

4) Baking soda works well as a deodorant and as a scrubing paste. (Just don't mix with vinegar :))

5) Bleach takes out mold and mildew (gotta be careful here though . . .) Lysol works well here too . . .and Lysol is basically just alcohol, so you could use that too.

6) Rubbing alcohol also does a number on ink. (Just don't get the kind with added color :))

I'm sorry if you're reading this and thinking "duh", but by the looks of all the expensive cleaning products out there . . .
Also check out:
The Vinegar Book ( Great uses for Vinegar )

The brief Dummies Guide to monetizing websites

Okay, this doesn't even qualify as a Dummies Guide, but rather a brief Dummies Guide. However, here are some of the ways that websites and even blogs make money:

1) Sell something. Duh right? Not a "step one" I would recommend for anybody. However, using your website or blog to compliment your other advertising can be helpful. (For example you advertise your garage sale on Craig's list and you send people to your blog for directions and/or more details. Or, you advertising your house for sale or rent and you send people to your website for pictures and more details, etc.) However, some people think if they put up a website to see whatever that it's going to sell. Wrong. People need a reason to GO to your website, simply having one won't do the trick.

2) Advertise on your blog or website. This may come as a shock (a wee bit of sarcasm there :)), but people don't cover their websites with banner ads and others because they're pretty. The hard part is advertising things that people who are reading your website are actually interested in. Google Adsense tries to do this. . . .sometimes they suceed :)

3) Affliates. You can use your web traffic to drive people to another place. Then, sometimes that other place pays you. (You'll notice the banner ad for American Consumer Opinion? That's the only afflliate link I have on this site.) The hard part about affliates is that I think you really have to believe in them. If you affliate with something that people don't like that's going to reflect poorly on you . . . you don't want that unless you have no interest in returning traffic. (And especially for blogs, returning traffic is their lifeblood!)

4) Subscriptions or micropayments. If your website/blog is good enough to people to subscribe to it, you're reading the wrong post :)

Old Navy $5 off $25 purchase

Mostly for Necia and Jackie . . .and maybe Sharon . . .okay, anybody but me :) Here's an Old Navy coupon. Act fast - Expires July 31.

ON Insiders

Suze isn't thrilled with the abundance of interest only loans either!

Again, in special circumstances (like you're going to be moving soon) they might be fine, but IO loans the average person still scare me . . .

The Key to Your Home's Value: Money Matters with Suze Orman - Yahoo! Finance

New oxiclean -- free sample

Don't know if it works well, but here's a good way to find out :)

oxiclean sample

Dreaming 101

Remember awhile back when I talked about the "enrich your marriage" freebie? Well, Eric and I qualified for the beta version of the eHarmony marriage enrichment stuff. It's been pretty good, but it definitely has a beta feel to it :) Anyway, the first assignment that we've been working on is "Dreaming a Big Dream" for our lives and specifically our marriage. That's been hard but good I guess. What's weird is that I don't really dream . . . I don't generally think about "what if you throw reality out the door and did whatever you wanted to." I'm a pragmatist to my core I guess :) It's been good for me though. Try it sometime :) I think I need to have some sort of project going to feel good about myself. This blog is one of those projects I guess. Eric and I were also brainstorming some projects to do together. Eventually after Narvik sells (and the cash in Narvik is freed up) I think we might try flipping a house. How scary is that? We've also considered doing a Podcast together. Those of you who have known me for a REALLY long time know about my book that isn't called "After the Wedding Cake". What do you think of a blog and Podcast with that idea? Entry 1 -- Your Honeymoon will stink :) Well, I suppose it's getting late. If you came here looking for allergies or freebies I promise they're here, just look around. . . .

Yes Violet you really can grill pizza

About the title . . .that's the correct character right? I never know what's going on with various Christmas movies . . . Anyway, with the recent heat wave (I think I've had the air on for 6 days straight!) I'm reluctant to turn on the oven. It just seems wrong to spend all that money cooling the house down only to spend more money to heat it up only to spend more money to cool it down again! Of course that would usually knock out pizza or force me to get it delivered (which would cost way more than turning on the oven.) However, Eric and I were a bit more determined than that. :) 2 days ago we grilled our first pizza. It was a large Papa Murphy's Take-and-bake. Medium heat. Right on the tray they sell it with. It took less time than in the oven -- about 9 minutes, but I think 8 or 7 would have been better. The crust burned in a few places on the bottom so I think next time I might turn down the heat or maybe put down a layer of Al foil. Other than that it was really good!! Some people say you haven't had a pizza until you've had it grilled! :)

Candela's allergy story

Luckily, so far this is a brief story, but it does kind of scare me. . . My daughter Candela started getting pretty hard core (not devastating, but defnitely noticable) excema at about 5 months of age. She was breast feed at the time. My doctor said it wasn't too bad yet, but if it got worse we could put her on Eladel (sp?) and that should clear it up. That kind of scares me. Excema is almost always an allergy of some type, but at the time I didn't know that.

Your 5 month old has an allergy -- let's put her on a prescription drug to mask the symptoms. Now, I understand that sometimes that's necessary, esp. if your baby won't sleep or is itching so much she's miserable. But should it be the first (and often only) step? Don't get me wrong, I don't think my doctor did anything out of the realm of normal medicine. I'm just wondering if "normal" medicine is ready to say: "Well, she's obviously sensative to something you're eating, so start an elimination diet -- start with milk." One of my friends who's a doctor has often complained of patients demanding a quick fix even when a quick fix doesn't exist. Maybe doctors don't think people will be okay with a slow fix? Maybe doctors just aren't trained in this area very well?

Well, anyway, my mom is pretty into alternative treatments and she talked to a naturalpathic doctor who suggested that I mix some Protease (an enzyme) in with Candela's (bottled) breast milk. Great. The thought of rubbing presciption meds on her arms was bad enough . . .now you want me to believe this . . .less than 100% normal person?

Well my doctor friends (didn't really want to talk to her real doctor about this but in hindsight that would have been a good idea) agreed that it probably wouldn't work, but it wouldn't hurt her. Well . . . suffice it to say it did work and at 12 months when I tried introducing diary into Candela's diet the culprit was clear. As she grows she seems to be getting less and less sensative. She's fine with cheese, yogurt, etc. but we I give her "real" milk I still add enzymes. What's your experience? Post a comment :)

How are home values in your neighborhood?

Wow . . .everybody keeps saying home values are to be stagnating or declining . . .not yet . . .

How are home values in your neighborhood?

28% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck

Interesting article. Nice motivation to try to spend less :)
Strategies for Saving

BOGO LeAnn Chin's

I'm not usually a Rainbow shopper, but I don't think I'll be able to resist BOGO LeAnn Chin's in this week's Wednesday flyer. Don't miss it by accident! (BTW, I went to www.rainbowfoods.com to see if there was an internet link and the site is under construction. HELLO??!!)

Faithful allergy info seekers (and Eric's Kari Byron seekers)

I know some of you end up at the blog because you have allergies (or worse in my mind), your child has allergies. I'll admit my only direct experience with allergies is with my daughter's excema and all of the research I did to try to figure it out. For now at least, it's under control and so far she isn't showing any more symptoms! :) Yay! (Thanks Mom and enzymes!) To that end, I haven't been posting too much about allergies, but if you hunt in the archives you will find some things. I haven't, however, forgotten about it. I'm hoping to be able to get a lot more info. and thoughts out soon. (I've got friends with allergies and a fair number of them are doctors . . .) I just wanted to let you know I don't mean to let you down and if there's anything your specifically looking for . . . esp. with regards to excema feel free to post a comment. The worst that will happen is that I'll tell you I have no idea. :)

I can now relate to my husband who occasionally mentions Kari Byron on his blog only to let down Kari Byron seekers by his less than frequent posts about her and Mythbusters (the show she works on). To that end, here's a link to Eric's most recent Kari post:
educating eric: I still love my Kari Byron Fans

Allegies, enzymes, and a freebie!

I'm just bumping this to the top because it seems things really disappear once they hit the archives! This sample comes in caplet form, so I have to smash it (2 plastic bags and a pliers . . .very sophisicated I know) to put it in Candela's milk, but either it's working or she's not allegeric to milk anymore. I'm still not courageous enough to figure out which one!

I found an enzyme freebie. This is a broad range of enzymes from a reputable company. They'll send a coupon and a 15 caplet freebie. You need the promo code I typed below. The 15 capsules would be gone instantly if you take them all the time like they suggest, but for a little one, they need A LOT less. (Similar enzymes are what helped Candela's excema - I would mix 1/6 of a capsule with her cereal.) However standard disclosure, I'm not a doctor and can't suggest any treatments, etc. etc. I don't know what I'm talking about, etc. etc, Consult your heathcare professional, etc etc . . .

Garden of Life enzyme sample
Promotional code: RM0405

Diet Pepsi -- $10 rebate

It's not Diet Coke, but when it's all but free diet Cherry Pepsi will do the trick :) It's also on sale at Cub and CVS. The link is to a $10 rebate form.
Diet Pepsi

Kari Byron and Mythbusters

Here's a link to what I swear are my husband's most popular posts. I guess if people are attracted to women who know their physics I can't complain too much about that :)

educating eric: Kari Byron posts

Have savings? You want ING.

If you have a savings account or money that belongs in a savings account, you want to have it with ING direct. 3%. No fees. No minimums. No hassle. FDIC insured. Send me your e-mail and I'll send you an invite that will get you a $25 sign-up bonus. You can even set up separate accounts for your kids and they can get the sign up bonus too. If you've got a better deal please tell me about it! :) (And please don't tell me about Emmigrant Direct because they fail in the no hassle category -- at least in my experience!)

Whatever . . .Trump Trying to Buy Land He Already Owns

I know, be a bezillionaire that needs a crane to get his dining room table into his apartment then have part of your enterprise declare bankruptcy so you can bid on the auction . . .out of BENELVOLENCE??

Trump Trying to Buy Land He Already Owns

The Vinegar Book more cheap allergy free cleaning

This site has everything you ever wanted to know about vinegar (including cleaning, laundry, and a TON of other stuff). You have to click on the "chapters" on the left once you get to the site. BTW, there are ads everywhere (I'm all in favor of ads, but yikes!) but the content is good :)

The Vinegar Book ( Great uses for Vinegar )

One of those days . . .

Why is my decidedly not sleeping toddler emptying the bookcase and trying to put crayons under her clothes . . .

Unreliable Luxury Cars - Here Dad :)

Maybe this will encourage Dad to read my blog more :) Look at the bottom of the first page.
Unreliable Luxury Cars: Weekend - Yahoo! Finance

Not happy with a product? Complain.

This may seem obvious, but up until a few years ago I had no idea how hard corporate America will work to keep my business. If a product doesn't perform up to the advertising, complain! Be very nice about it . . .there's no need to ruin anybody's day, but tell them about it. Almost universally you'll get something free for sending a complaint e-mail. Here are some examples of what I've received:

Free diapers for leaks
Free meat for complaining about too much fat
Free lotion and hairspray for complaining it spewed all over when partially clogged
Free chips for complaining they "weren't very good"
$2 off for saying how much I liked their ice cream (regretfully compliments don't pay out as well as complaints, but they still pay out)
Free soy milk for a defective container
Etc, etc, :)

Often they send you two or three coupons for free stuff for every complaint and usually the coupons are only limited to a family of products, so you don't have to get the exact same thing again. BTW, e-mail is the best way to communicate. The response is fast and it doesn't take much time or a stamp away from you.

Candela hates peanut butter! Allergy?

I tried giving Candela peanut butter for the first time today. From all appearances she hated it. What kind of kid hates peanut butter? Now, she did eat a tiny bit and I didn't notice any type of reaction -- yay! However, I wonder if there is a study out there about (as least as a small child) not liking food you're sensative or allergic to? When I was little my mother said I HATED eggs and to this day sulfur seems to bother me more than it bothers most people . . . I seems our bodies know more than we give them credit for . . . Anybody else have an example that might substaniate (or refute) the claim?

New automated post office!

Yeah . . .I pretty much hate going to the post office (usually I make Eric do it :)). Anyway, I went there today and there was the usual long line of sullen people -- at 11:00 in the morning! Lunch rush?? Anway, a long line of sullen people and a toddler really don't mix, so at Candela's "insistance" I tried the new automated postal center. It worked very well! It printed the postage for my package, gave me stamps, took my credit card, gave a receipt, the whole works! Best of all it's open 24 hours :) No more long lines at the post office for me! (Though I suppose there still might be a few for Eric . . .)

How to Teach Your Kids About Money

Suze had a few things in this article I never considered . . .Esp. on how work should be viewed as a blessing and the ATM really has be explained . . .

How to Teach Your Kids About Money

Never pay retail and your stuff aint worth much

Okay. Here are a few of Ruth's rules on buying stuff:

1) Never pay retail. Okay, maybe if your baby is proactively leaking all over the carseat and a gas station is your only option for a clean diaper . . . but as a general rule, never pay retail. Many things you want/need go to 50% or more off retail if you shop at the right time. You just have to be a little bit patient and plan ahead a bit.

2) Nothing you bought at a store is now worth what you paid for it. This too has obvious exceptions that prove the rule. However, you are not a saleperson, you don't have a wide selection, you don't offer financing, installation, or delivery, and you probably have a small timeframe. Moreover, your stuff is used. Yes, even if you just brought it home from the store you're dealing with the used market and that's a whole different thing. Sometimes in the paper or on Craig's list I see things like Patio set, for sale for $1550 original price $2250. I bet the owner didn't even pay $2250 (see rule #1) and they think they're going to sell it on the used market for $1550? Here's some news . . .99.9% of people who spend $1550 for a patio set don't shop on the used market . . .EVER.

3) Most aniques are just old. Now, old is good. Old is often well made. Old can have character and charm. Old does not mean worth more than new. Old certainly doesn't mean it's worth a lot even though it looks horrible and is falling apart.

4) Most collectables are worth a lot because most people THREW THEM AWAY. In the cycle of collectables and even antiques you have to hit a value of zero before the value comes up again . . .and for a lot of things the "up again" part never happens . . .

Honesty and Courtesy

This might sound like a rant, but it's really more of a question . . .or maybe a commentary. Why are people so scared to communicate bad news? Recently I've had three people communicate with me that they like things that I'm offering for free. All of them have ended communication. So, should I re-offer the items? Should I keep waiting? If so, how long? If they're planning on coming to get the items how hard would be to send an e-mail or call? If they're no longer interested how long would it take to tell me that? A simple e-mail would do. Isn't that just common courtesy? If so I think common courtesy is a lost art.

I recently communicated with somebody that an item I was selling had a buyer but I'd let that person know if the sale fell through. You'd think from the very thankful response I got back that I'm the only person who's ever done that. Again, isn't it just common courtesy to acknowledge and thank the interest? Now I'm no more perfect than anybody else and certainly I forget things or get busy, but I used to wonder why some eBay posts were so embittered and Free-cyclers would say things like "it's at the bottom of my driveway . . .if you want it come get it". Now I know, it's because they'd had the experience of phantom takers and they don't want to deal with it.

My sister and I have noticed this with tenants and potential tenants too. You know if you lose communication it's because the deal is over. How hard would it be to say "that's too expensive?" Nope. The most common out is "I"ll talk to my spouse and call you back". Except they never call back. Why bother to tell me you're going to call back if you're not going to? Rent is a fun one too. . . .especially when it's going to be late. I have to think that tenants generally know when rent is going to be late. Why leave me in the dark? Do they think I'm going to forget that rent was due? Do they think I'm going to be upset that they had to courtesy to tell me as soon as they knew?

Even when it comes to bad news, knowing is better than waiting!