If you own a home and have built up some equity in it, then you’re sitting on a great way to get some extra cash. I’m talking about home equity loans, which can be used in a variety of different ways. Some people use the money to make home improvements, some people use the money to pay down high-interest credit card debt, and some just use the money to take a well-deserved vacation. My mom used a home equity loan to help pay for my college tuition, which I will be eternally grateful for!

What would you spend the money on?

Okay, I was tagged by Ms. Kat to participate in a movie meme, even though I said it was impossible for me to choose five favorites! I watch so many movies that I’m sure I’m forgetting some excellent ones here, but these are five that I can think of right now (and they’re not in order):

1. The Silence of the Lambs — This is the first movie that truly freaked me out.
2. Sunset Blvd. — I usually don’t go for old movies, but I was immediately drawn into this one.
3. Se7en — Had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
4. A Few Good Men — I’m not sure why, but I never get tired of watching this movie.
5. Forrest Gump — Another movie I can watch over and over again.

Looks like almost everyone has been tagged already….

Edit: I’m tagging sewcute!!!

I used to think that genetic testing was limited to criminal investigations like the ones shown on my favorite television show CSI. But apparently that’s not the case at all. Regular people use DNA testing every day to determine ethnicity, establish parentage, and things of that nature. Some places, like 800dnaexam.com, offer very affordable DNA tests with results in as fast as 5 business days. Take a look at that site if you ever need that kind of service.

I started reading Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy) again during this NFL season, after swearing him off a few months before that. The biggest draw for me was the new Sports Gal Speaks feature where his wife sounds off about things that bug her. She’s usually pretty funny, so I grew to like her column.

I just learned that the Sports Gal now gets her very own archive on ESPN’s Page 2! It’s not much of an archive, and it doesn’t have permalinks for each individual article that she’s written, but it’s better than nothing. Here’s a link to it, so go check out what she has to say. By the way, my favorite column of hers was in Week 16 when she ranted about Angelina Jolie. That’s exactly the way I feel!

Sports Gal Archive

I believe in being prepared for the unexpected, so I make sure that I have fully-stocked emergency kits in both my car and my home. The emergency kit I have is contained in a backpack, so it doesn’t take up much space at all. Inside, I have lots of different tools, equipment, food, and products that I would need in the event that disaster strikes. For example, there’s vacuum-packed food and water, toiletries, flashlights, dust masks, mylar blankets, etc.

These kits are very affordable and could end up saving your life someday. There’s really no reason NOT to have one!

I have a couple of drug allergies that sometimes make it difficult for me to take the medications I need. The most inconvenient of these allergies is for Acetaminophen, which happens to be used in most over-the-counter pain relievers and cold medicines, including Tylenol, NyQuil, Benadryl, and other common brands. It’s no fun to have a headache or a bad cold and not be able to take these medicines!

I asked my doctor for some alternatives and found that I can deal with ibuprofen (which is in Motrin), but I’m still looking for a good, reliable cold medicine to take — something that works like NyQuil to help me sleep despite heavy coughing and other symptoms. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

I just read an article about how the Orlando airport is testing out a new machine that automatically scans shoes for explosive devices. This could potentially speed up the passenger screening process and thus reduce some of the waiting time associated with security checks. The catch is that the machine is very expensive, and therefore passengers who want to use it would have to pay $100 first.

Is that something you would do??? Not me! I travel pretty frequently and either fly out of Chicago O’Hare or Narita Airport in Tokyo, both of which are huge hubs with lots of traffic. I have not once been held up because of the shoe scanning thing. By now everyone knows they have to do this, so it usually goes pretty quickly. It’s the luggage check that slows everything down, not the shoe x-rays. Plus, I don’t see why passengers should have to pay for this sort of thing! Shouldn’t the government and/or the airlines pony up to buy these machines?

Anyway, this machine exists, but don’t expect to see it at too many airports in the near future.

(Photo credit: Associated Press)

When I think of gambling in Las Vegas, a few big-name hotels and casinos come to mind: the Bellagio, the Hard Rock, the MGM Grand, the Golden Nugget, etc. These are the places that people generally talk about when mentioning Vegas, so it’s only natural that I would think of them first.

But since I’ve never been to that city myself, I can’t say for certain whether or not those casinos are worth playing at or whether the rooms in the hotels are a good value. That’s why I think it’s important to check out unbiased reviews of Las Vegas casinos before planning a trip there. Reading reviews from regular travelers will give me the inside scoop on how good a hotel or casino is for the average person, so I’ll be able to make a better decision about where to stay.

I took a look at a site called Las-Vegas.cruzino.com today and liked what I saw. There are over 3,000 unique reviews on the site, so I was able to get an excellent idea of what to expect from specific hotels and casinos.

If you want this kind of information, take a look at the site before your next trip to Vegas!

This is not a fun thing to wake up to in January. It seems like there’s something wrong with my furnace. The house was ice cold when I woke up today even though I keep the thermostat set at a comfortable 62 degrees overnight. I know nothing about these things and my husband’s already at work (not that he would be able to figure it out either) so it looks like I’ll have to call a repair person.

Good thing I have a couple of space heaters around. It’s actually not supposed to be that cold, so hopefully I’ll be fine. Not a good thing to have happen on a Friday, though.

My husband’s driving record is not exactly spotless. He often gets speeding tickets and has even been in a couple of fender-benders in the past few years. Needless to say, his insurance rates are pretty high, so we’re always looking for a way to lower the monthly premiums.

One thing I do in order to help keep our costs down is to look for free car insurance quotes online. There are a lot of websites that offer this kind of service, so it’s easy for me to find out if we’re paying the best rates or not. If I see a better deal, I can just switch carriers and go on from there.

I’m happy to say that this strategy has been working so far, and we’ve gotten progressively better deals the last two times that we changed policies!