Friday wrap-up: Recycling @ work, green running and crunching transit costs

More e-recycling options

Toshiba will recycle your electronics for free — or give you credit for a trade-in. Visit the site to get an estimate or learn more.

Workplace furniture recycling

You know you can get a new sofa on Craigslist, but maybe not new furnishings for your whole office. Meanwhile, the company that downsized and moved a few blocks away might be unloading 20 desks. Enter FACILITYcycle – Colorado’s answer to industrial-size recycling of workplace materials.

Public transit grows

Riding the bus more these days? You’re not alone. Last year, public transit ridership was the highest in 52 years, up 4 percent from the previous year. Americans took a total 10.7 billion trips on public transit. If you’d like to find out how much you could save by riding public transit, you can use a calculator at publictransportation.org or at the American Public Transportation Association.

Unfortunately, you might find that public transit would cost you a bundle. In my case, my husband’s school and my daughter’s school are each 2.5 miles from our home (in opposite directions). If I commuted my daughter to school by bus, I would pay $1,434 more per 10-month school year than driving costs (assuming we both bought monthly passes to save; my daughter’s pass would be half-price because she’s a child). My husband’s commute would cost $583 more than driving costs (for 10 months of passes, because he’s a teacher).

That comes out to $2,017 per year, or $168 per month. Just $58 of that is my husband’s portion. If public transit saves you from making a payment on a second car, it can be worth it financially. If you own your car outright, you’ll have to think again.

Running of the green

Running can be an economical way of burning some calories, building some lungs and pumping up those legs. But it also has a huge environmental impact. Read all about it in Runner’s World (thanks to Thrifty Chicks).

Your rights if a debt collector calls

If you are struggling with getting your financial life on track — or juggling the monumental task of trying to pay bills after a layoff or two slashes your income — you could be getting calls from debt collectors.

Even if you’re not, they might call. On Monday night, I sat down to pay bills — and realized that the check I’d written weeks ago to my second-mortgage lender was still sitting in my bills folder. That’s OK; such a situation is part of why I pay bills on the 25th of the month, then do a double-check by the 10th, before my mid-month bills are due. The mortgage payment is actually “due” on the 1st and “late” after the 16th, so I popped the check in the mail and it will be fine.

But yesterday morning at 8:03 a.m., as I was about to hustle Mlle. (that’s short for Mademoiselle, for you non-Francophiles) Cheap out the door, the phone rang. “Hi, this is Linda with [Company] Mortgage, the holder and collector of a lien on your home,” she said.

You notice she said collector, presumably so that if I wasn’t going to pay, I was on notice. I told her what happened, that I’d mailed the check, and that it included my extra principal. She was nice, even saying, “Thank you for taking my call this morning.”

Some collectors aren’t so nice. The FDIC has put out its new issue of Consumer News, which includes an article about what to do — and your rights — if a debt collector calls. Among them: They can’t call before 8 a.m. Thus the timing on my phone.

Here’s the rest of what the FDIC article says:

When a Debt Collector Calls
Beware of unfair practices and scam artists offering to “help” with credit counseling and debt management

People who are late making payments on a loan, a credit card or other bills may eventually be contacted by a “debt collector,” a third-party hired by the original lender. Dealing with a debt collector can be stressful. But be aware that if you are overdue on a bill and get contacted by a debt collector, the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that you be treated fairly and without harassment.

In general, the law prohibits certain unfair and deceptive collection practices. For example, the law prohibits a debt collector from calling you before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m., unless you agree. The law requires a debt collector to stop contacting you if you make the request in writing.

Also, within 30 days from the initial contact made by a debt collector, you have a right to dispute any of the debt you are told you owe. If you dispute the bill in writing, the debt collector can’t contact you again to collect the money until you are provided with proof of the debt, such as a copy of a bill.

If you have a problem with a debt collector, you can report it to your state Attorney General’s office (listed in your local phone book or other directories) and the Federal Trade Commission (visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP, which is 1-877-382-4357).

Note that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act covers debt collectors but not banks or others that lend the money initially. However, under federal law governing unfair or deceptive business practices, banks cannot engage in abusive behavior when trying to collect a debt. If you have a question or a concern about your bank’s practices, contact its federal or state banking regulator. You have the right to file a complaint with the regulator if you believe the bank acted improperly or illegally. If you’re not sure how to locate that regulator, you can contact the FDIC for guidance (see Sources of Help and Information on Managing Your Money).

Also be on guard against scam artists who prey on people who are late paying their bills by offering to “help” by reducing or eliminating their debts.

“Consumers should be especially wary of promotions and unsolicited offers by companies that advertise credit counseling services or that promise to settle your debts with your creditors for less than you owe,” said Deirdre Foley, an FDIC Senior Policy Analyst. “While there are many reputable organizations that offer credit counseling or that help consumers manage their debts, other companies charge high fees for questionable services or for services that are never delivered.” (Also see When the Economy Cools Down, Financial Scams Heat Up for tips on how to avoid mortgage rescue schemes and a variety of credit-related frauds.)

Foley added that before working with any company or organization that says it will settle or negotiate your debts, check it out with your state Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau.

For more information about how to protect yourself when dealing with a debt collector or a credit counselor, read the consumer facts published by the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/credit/debt.shtm.

For guidance from the FDIC about how to handle difficulties making a loan or bill payment, see When Payments Are a Problem.

Reader mailbag on bread

The post on Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day has generated a lot of comments — and quite a few questions. I’ll answer some of them here.

I’ve done no knead before, but not really happy with the results. Have you compared the two recipes side by side?

Not side by side, although I’ve written about both. Here’s my take on the no-knead recipe, last year.

If we compare the ingredients, we’ll see that they’re quite different in two key areas — yeast and salt.

No-Knead Bread (for one loaf):
0.25 tsp yeast (this equates to 0.08 Tbsp)
1.5 cups water
3 cups flour
1.5 tsp salt (this equates to 0.5 Tbsp)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day basic boule (for several loaves):
1.5 Tbsp yeast
3 cups water
6.5 cups flour
1.5 Tbsp salt

The greater amount of yeast (9 times as much) is likely why the Artisan Bread recipe can rise and bake immediately (within two hours), whereas the No-Knead recipe first must rise 8-12 hours.

As for salt, it gives the bread flavor and affects its rising and stretching characteristics. The Artisan Bread boule has 50% more salt than the no-knead recipe. For a full, detailed expose on salt’s role in bread baking, check out this article.  For the quick view, this paragraph should suffice:

Besides flavoring the bread, bakers have long noted salt’s alteration of certain dough characteristics. Unsalted dough mixes faster, has little resistance to extension and feels sticky. Bakers who delay the salt addition during mixing find that once salt is added, the dough tightens, becoming more difficult to stretch, but also becomes stronger, and is thus capable of stretching farther without ripping. (Testing by cereal scientists confirms this seemingly contradictory observation: salted doughs are both more resistant to extension and more extensible once deformed.) During fermentation, salted doughs rise more slowly, an occurrence usually solely attributed to salt’s dehydrating effect on yeast. To understand how salt affects these changes, and to see if our assumptions hold true, we will need to take a look at the interactions within the dough on a molecular level.

In short: If you haven’t tried both recipes, give the Artisan Bread version a try — maybe it will work better for you.

The only problem I had [with a ciabatta] was the crust did not stay crusty after it cooled. What am I doing wrong?

The Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book mentions underbaking as a possible cause.

Or consider this tip from Rose Levy Berenbaum:

Allow the bread to cool completely before placing it in a brown paper bag. If the loaf has been cut into, store it in a plastic bag and recrisp it in the following way. Place the loaf cut side down on the oven stone or baking sheet. Turn the oven to 400°F and check after 7 minutes. The crust should be crisp and the crumb will be warm.

Try using a baguette pan with perforations.  The dough rises and bakes in the pan – no stone needed. The bread comes out perfect, and the smaller size only takes 20 minutes to rest, 25 to bake. I get my pans used from a bakery supply company, but there are many for sale online.

I do indeed use a baguette pan (mine only has two “bins” — I think I purchased it at Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table years ago).  They work beautifully. Lately I’ve been finding that my dough sticks in the holes when the loaf is baked. I can twist it like an ice cube tray to get it out, but I’m going to try to remember to oil the pan next time.

I have tried this no-knead bread and it is good. I am still experimenting to get the right loaf though. My loaves turn out a little too moist in the middle so when I cut them they stick to the knife. Does the book include troubleshooting tips and high altitude adjustments? Just wondering.

The book does include troubleshooting tips. For your problem, it mentions that you might be underbaking the bread slightly. They say (and I do the same) that their bread, when baked properly, comes out with some black bits on parts of the crust that protrude.

As for high altitude, the authors do not include high-altitude adjustments. Here are some tips about baking in general at high altitude, but in short, experts advise adding a bit more liquid at high altitude to compensate for drier flour. I am baking at 5,300 feet, and that’s what I do. Generally, don’t be afraid to add some more liquid to make a dough more moist, if that is an issue. Just do it a little bit at a time.

But if yours is too moist, I would assume the liquid is sufficient and try baking it a bit longer. The dough is meant to be very moist, which gives it the delicious interior with nice holes and good texture. But the baked texture shouldn’t be soggy. Good luck!

Why are your Silpats not brown?

I have no idea, except that I don’t typically cook greasy foods on them, perhaps? I found this explanation in a review on Viewpoints.com:

The mats are wonderful except that while taking care of them as directed, we have never gotten one to last the advertised number of uses. We use them several times a week and take care of them as directed. After a while the mats start to turn brown. I wrote to the company and the reply was, “Unfortunately, what you’re experiencing is a normal stage at the end of the life of a Silpat. The Silpat is a fiberglass weave coated with a layer of silicone. This silicone is porous, and will begin to absorb the fat/grease from the items cooked on it over time. As the silicone absorbs more fat/grease, it fills the valleys between these peaks, and creates more surface area for the mat, causing more friction. It also will start to appear stained.”

You use the 1/2 recipe (so 3, 1.5, 1.5, 6.5) in the 2 gallon container?  How much does it rise?  If I do the whole 6,3,3,13 will it just need a 4 gallon or will it rise too much?

I just checked again, and my container is maybe one gallon. The dough rises up to about 1 inch below the rim at its maximum height. A 2-gallon container should be ample for the full recipe, but YMMV.

How ’bout some pictures of your dogs?

Let’s let sleeping dogs lie.

The Canines Cheap

Great rechargeable battery deal at Walgreens

I just found this great deal at my local Walgreens and wanted to share.

Walgreens sells Energizer rechargeable batteries, size AAA, in packs of 4, normally $12.99. At my store (through 3/28/09), they are on sale for $7.99 per pack.

In this month’s EasySaver catalog, customers can get a rebate of $10 for buying two packs of Energizer batteries (or $15 for three packs). That rebate is increased by 10% (to $11 or $16.50) if you choose to have your rebate added directly to a gift card instead of sent by check. To claim a rebate via gift card, you can submit rebates online anytime during March. The balance can be added to your existing gift card automatically.

If I claim my rebate for these packages, I’ll ultimately get them for $3.13 a pack including tax. This is perfect as we are seeking to convert all our batteries to rechargeables.

I’m not sure if the sale is at all retail outlets — if you find out, let us know! But it’s sure worth checking. I don’t need any more AAA batteries, but I do need AAs, so I will be checking back before the sale ends just in case I can claim that 3-pack rebate.

As always with deals, YMMV.

Find books for cheap or free reads

If you love to read, you know the cost of books can really add up. A tempting new hardback can run $25 or more. It’s a small price to pay for hours of enjoyment — and sometimes, years of memories, a new skill or a new perspective on life. But when times are tight, books are an area where you can trim costs.

Not so cheap

As a writer myself, with writer friends, I find the idea of not supporting authors to be really sad. And yet, in the interest of both money and decluttering, I know all too well that books take up a lot of room — and very few get read again, even for a household of avid readers like ours.

Books are collectible, you say? Perhaps a signed first edition. But my grandmother died with a house full of thousands of books — many of them collected intentionally — and more than 500 are still in my garage, listed online for sale but unsold. And we kept only the best.

I also like to support my wonderful local bookstore. Unfortunately, the nature of expanding information means they very frequently don’t have the title I want — so supporting them means planning ahead and having them order the title, which they happily do.

As a solution, I buy books of friends, and I often buy and have autographed a copy of a book when I attend an author’s reading. This isn’t a huge expenditure; I attend a reading every year or so, sometimes a few times a year. These books are special to me. If a book is not so special (like the reading where the author acted put upon to be there, insulted our city, and then the book wasn’t even good), I resell it.

Cheaper

New books are available at a discount on Amazon.com (where, for instance, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day costs $16.77 instead of the cover price of $27.95). Discounts on bestsellers and classics are available at Barnes & Noble online (where AAA members save an additional 5% and get free shipping) and Borders.

Used books are available online aplenty, and they add the benefit of re-use to that of saving money.

Used books on Amazon are even cheaper than new ones (usually  — but do double check). And Alibris and ABEBooks have millions of used books, from inexpensive paperbacks to valuable collectibles — including textbooks. Do a search online and you’ll find services comparing prices for the book you need. Be sure to check shipping costs for the total cost to receive a book.

Cheapest

Thrift stores typically have a motherlode of books. In our area, prices range from 50 cents for children’s paperbacks to $10 for special volumes. On a half-price day, those prices are cut in half. Also, stores now assign their colored stickers to books, too, and those tags are featured on sale for half off on certain days.

During garage sale season, books can be found even cheaper — sometimes 10 cents each or whatever you can bargain the seller down to. Face it — they’re just glad to get those dusty tomes out of the basement, so your gain is their gain.

Local used book exchanges can be a great deal. My grandfather, who is far cheaper than I, made a science out of getting cheap reads when he and my grandmother traveled the country in their fifth-wheel trailer. He would take a grocery sack of paperbacks to a used bookstore in any location and trade them the sack for a sack full of different books. Grandma didn’t get to pick and choose what she read — but she had a plentiful supply to carry her to their next stop, without cluttering up their tiny portable living space.

Online book swaps serve the same function, but you do get to pick and choose. PaperBackSwap.com currently has over 3 million books available; BookMooch.com has some 500,000 and has ways to share books with charity. The books themselves are free: You list what you have to give away, and then you earn points to claim others’ books. The only cost is postage for shipping. Use the U.S. Postal Service’s “media mail” option to save significantly on shipping costs, although transit will take a bit longer.

Free books

If you like the idea of book swapping with a “random acts of kindness” angle, a nod to “Where’s George,” and a dash of geocaching, check out BookCrossing.com. On this site, you give your book a tracking number, “release” it somewhere in your community, and note on the site where you left it. Other participants can “catch” the book, log it at the site, read it and pass it on.

Many communities have places where books are available for free. Check your work lunchroom, your local coffee shop, sushi restaurant or bar for a discreet stash of books. You can read while you sit, and in some places, you can take a book, leave a book.

Have similar-minded friends over for brunch and a book swap. Everyone can bring books they no longer want and go home with a few good reads, prescreened by friends.

The library is, of course, the queen of free reads (well, funded by your tax dollars). If your library’s collection leaves something to be desired, learn your way around Interlibrary Loan. Even in rural areas with small libraries, readers can access the world’s collections this way.

And I just found this great service — if you’ve always wanted to read War and Peace, but you just never found the room on your nightstand, you can now do so, one day at a time. DailyLit.com will deliver a manageable chunk of a book to your e-mail every day. In just 663 installments, you’ll be done with War and Peace – and you can read it guilt- and back-pain free on your smart phone while waiting for the kids at soccer, or have it arrive for a fast pick-me-up at work in the afternoon.

What have I missed?

What are your secrets for finding great values on books?

How to hang out laundry

Spring is here, and it’s a great time for all of us to create backyard replicas of those classic springtime images of clean clothes whipping dry on a clothesline.

(Why is there no ACTUAL image today? I tried, but the camera is not cooperating.)

Anyway … as you very likely know, hanging clothes out to dry has many benefits:

• Uses natural solar and wind energy to dry clothes instead of electricity, natural gas or propane.
• Adds that fresh, outdoor smell.
• Does light sanitizing from the sun’s rays.
• Saves $70-$80 per year if you can hang out laundry for 7 months (compared to using an electric dryer).
• Eliminates 1,500 pounds of carbon emissions if you do it 7 months a year.
• Gives you a little bit of exercise and a chance to get outside.

If you haven’t hung out clothes before — or haven’t done it for years — here’s a primer on how to make it enjoyable:

1. Launder clothes the night before (if your climate doesn’t cause them to mildew by morning) or at the crack of dawn, then get out and hang up the clothes in the morning. I guarantee it will be one of the best parts of your day. Take them down in the evening for a few minutes’ respite. Breathe the fresh air, enjoy the sun pouring vitamin-D-generators into your skin, listen to birds, and be happy you are not stuck in traffic, sitting behind a computer, listening to babies cry or whatever comprises much of your time.
2. Make it easy. Get the tools you need. Set up a clothesline (a traditional line, a retractable strung between home and garage, a line across your patio or a revolving “umbrella” clothesline).
3. Get enough clothespins. The wooden ones are more eco-friendly and more lasting. Find them at dollar stores, large Asian markets like Har-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc. Put them in a hanging basket (even a milk jug cut out for access) to easily reach them.
4. Save your back by elevating the basket. I put my basket on an upturned large flowerpot next to my umbrella clothesline. My former neighbors had put wheels on a basket so it rolled along their line.
5. Fight wrinkles. Many garments — like linen — come out less wrinkled on the line, especially if it’s breezy. Give woven cotton garments a good shake (or three) before hanging to shake out wrinkles. Take a look after hanging to make sure a cuff isn’t turned up — it will dry that way if it is. For extra wrinkly garments, or “wrinkle-resistant” clothes that wrinkle on the line, throw them in the dryer for a few minutes while damp to get out wrinkles. If you’ve washed the garments several times, they should be fairly colorfast when they are nearly dry, and all colors can go in one load to conserve energy.
6. Crowd synthetics. It’s not mandatory! But if you are running out of clothesline, remember that 100% polyester and polar fleece dry very rapidly and without wrinkles. In a pinch, I hang my daughter’s fleece PJs by one clothespin and crammed together — and they still dry faster than other clothes.
7. Simplify socks. I pull socks out of the load as I remove it from the washer (or hang up the load and leave socks in the basket). Then I drape them over a folding rack instead of hanging them on the line. Somehow, working a clothespin onto every single sock just ups the annoying factor a little too far.
8. Flip shirts over. I hang shirts upside down (from the hem) to minimize wrinkles and ensure that if there are any weird nipply things from the clothespins, they are at the hem instead of the shoulders. (There’s nothing like glancing in the mirror at lunchtime only to see that you have a knob of fabric sticking up from your shoulder.) Or, hang clothing on hangers — but for the broad- or narrow-shouldered among us, double check to be sure the shoulders lie smoothly on the hangers. For button-placket shirts, I hang the shirt upside down with a clothespin at each side hem. Then I lap the plackets over each other and clip the center, too.

Save on photo books this weekend

If you have a virtual stack of digital photos waiting to be put in albums, scratch that project off your list this weekend with some good offers on photo books from Shutterfly and MyPublisher.

• At Shutterfly, you can get one 8×8 photobook FREE ($29.99 value) and receive 20% off additional photobooks. Use code PHOTOBOOKS. This offer ends Tuesday, March 10, 2009.
• MyPublisher is offering special deals to Costco members through Monday, March 9, 2009. Get 45% off on orders over $100 (perfect if you have a few years of photos piled up), 25% off orders over $50, and 20% off orders under $50. Savings will be automatically applied at checkout. Enter their site here or through Costco.com.

I haven’t used Shutterfly’s service, but I did have good luck with MyPublisher around the holidays.

Fix a Leak Week, March 16-20

Ladies and gentlemen, grab your wrenches …

The EPA has announced “Fix a Leak Week” in mid-March. It’s the perfect time to save water by fixing those household leaks. You’ll also prevent home damage, avoid cleaning those nasty hard-water stains, and feel good about the environment — and maybe save a few pennies.

The EPA site says:

Did you know that an American home can waste, on average, 11,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks? Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year.

Does it matter?

Yes!

When I wrote about hiring a plumber to fix a leak a couple of years ago, I noted that one leak in my laundry sink dripped out 8 gallons of water a day.

Since that time, I’ve fixed a j-bend pipe under a bathroom sink (would have been easy as pie except that it was a pedestal sink whose pedestal was in the way) and fixed a leaky toilet. Then I replaced my other bathroom sink myself. All in all, I figure I’ve saved $700 in labor — and countless drip, drip, drips.

My “fix a leak” projects

I don’t feel too bad about my current leaks, because they are fixable manually. That is to say, I hear the “drip, drip” and run in and tighten the faucets or wiggle the valve to make it stop. But the projects I’ve been postponing include:

• Replacing a washer in the hot-water faucet in the upstairs shower.
• Replacing a washer in the hot-water faucet in the downstairs shower.
• Replacing the ballcock assembly in the downstairs toilet.

These should be a snap, because I’ve even already bought the parts (now if I can find them …). Famous last words.

Do you have a leak you can fix?

Recycle electronics now

What do you do when you get that final dial tone or your screen goes blank for good? Hopefully, you’ll recycle any piece of electronic equipment. Here’s why — PC Magazine reports:

Consumer electronics—including TVs, computers, peripherals, audio equipment, and phones—make up almost 2 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This percentage may seem small and inconsequential, but the quantity of electronic waste is steadily rising.

In fact, the EPA estimates that the number of obsolete consumer electronics sold between 1980 and 2007 is 235 million; a total weight of 2.25 million tons. Where are these 235 million units now? Eighteen percent of these products were collected for recycling; the rest are, unfortunately, sitting in landfills. Toxins (lead, mercury, flame retardants, and the like) from these electronics can seep into the soil and ground water, posing serious health and environmental risks.

In Denver — March 7, 2009

Denver-area residents, a reader notified me that LG is sponsoring electronics recycling bashes all around the metro area this weekend! You can drop off your unwanted computers, phones, TVs, VCRs, and much more for FREE recycling on Saturday, March 7. Check out all the information here.

Other electronics recycling resources

Not in Colorado or not ready to give up the VCR this weekend?

• The Environmental Protection Agency offers a directory of electronics recycling resources here.
• PC Magazine just published its Electronics Recycling Superguide this week.

Save on postage despite increases

On May 11, the U.S. Postal Service will increase the cost of mailing a first-class letter to 44 cents, two cents more than the current 42 cents.

If you use 10 stamps a month, this increase will cost you $4.80 more a year.

Save a few dollars on this year’s postage:

• Purchase “forever stamps” (pictured at right) now. Buy a roll of 100 and you’ll pay 42 cents for stamps that you can use for the 44-cent first-class mailing cost later this year.
• Go online to credit card and loan providers and sign up for e-pay. Enter your bank account information, confirm some security information, and then arrange to transfer funds online. With most lenders, you can either pay automatically (for instance, have the full balance paid automatically each month) or arrange a specific payment on a month-by-month basis.
• Have bills paid automatically. Check with your credit card company, bank and/or vendors to see if you can be billed automatically. For instance, my gym and cable company charge a credit card automatically. I get points toward a cash-back rebate, and only have one bill to pay. My mortgage, insurance and utility bills are automatically withdrawn from my checking account on a certain day each month. Note: This is also a good way to hang onto a credit card that you’re concerned might be closed in this economic climate. Have one bill — such as cable — charged to the credit card, then pay it every month.

How else do you save on postage?