25 free programs to help you make the most of your computer!

My favorite free software

I recently discovered this article, a version of which was originally posted here a year earlier (gotta love the Internet!). Recycled content or not, it got me thinking about some of the best free software that I've used.

http://www.datacenterjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/opensource92413.jpg

Value Chromebooks

Best Chromebooks 

If you're looking for a cheap computer to surf the Internet, or for your kids, a Chromebook might be a good option for your needs. Chromebooks have very limited capabilities, and I generally prefer—and advise—computers with more robust capabilities. 

But if a Chromebook (or a cloud-first Windows netbook) is all you need, here are some of the best options:

Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga Chromebook; $200
http://amzn.to/2nXZ5ED

*My top recommendation
   -360-degree hinge, 4 GB RAM, 16 GB eMMC SSD storage, 11.6" HD screen, decent Intel Celeron N3150 processor, very positive reviews

Trick yourself out of debt!

Trick Yourself Out of Debt

As this tragic story demonstrates, debt can have life-shattering consequences. Seriously, follow that link and read the story. I’ll wait here.

Done? OK, welcome back! Pretty somber stuff, huh?...

For all the talk about money—how to save it, how to manage it, how to invest it, how to pay off your debt, which app is best to help you stick to a budget—there is very, very little talk about the emotional side of money. And that’s a topic that we obviously cannot continue to ignore!

You may have heard of the so-called ‘debt snowball’ method: pay off the debt with the lowest amount owed; once that’s paid off, put that extra money toward the next smallest debt, and so on.

Some people take issue with this, since it’s more productive to put your money toward the debt with the highest interest payment first—the so-called ‘debt avalanche’ method. Advocates of the debt avalanche often fail to understand why people would use the obviously inferior debt snowball method instead.

The 3 best passive income apps

The first guest post to be featured on my site! Dylan of http://www.thecollegecapitalist.com offered to write a guest post reviewing some extra ways to make some extra money. These are some good options to accomplish this goal! Take it away, Dylan...

 

The Three Best Passive Income Apps

By: Dylan, Founder/Owner of www.thecollegecapitalist.com

Let’s face it: we could all use a little extra cash!

Links for March 2017

Links for March 2017

F-you money: good for employees, bad for employers: http://jalopnik.com/google-paid-fuck-you-money-at-self-driving-car-projec-1792306694  You'd be wise to get some f-you money yourself.

Is a penny saved a penny earned? No: https://www.financialfixation.com/single-post/2017/01/11/A-Penny-Saved-is-Not-a-Penny-Earned

How to raise your kids to become financially independent: http://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/want-your-kids-to-become-financially-secure-adults-parents-of-todays-wealthy-did.html

A little fun

Today in unnecessary censorship:

No, Yahoo, my e-mail address does NOT contain a swear word! But gee, thanks for implying it...

This reminds me of the classic (and not kid-friendly...probably not work-friendly either, depending on the personality of your co-workers and/or boss) unnecessary censorship video of Ernie and Bert in conversation.

As far as I can tell, they're playing tag and Ernie is actually saying that Bert is "it." But nonetheless, it cracks me up every time! Maybe I just have a juvenile sense of humor. But hey, it gave me a good laugh anyway!

After all, they say that laughter is the best medicine!

Or, if you've seen The Dark Knight (the second movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy with Christian Bale as the Batman), Heath Ledger's Joker seems to think instead that slaughter is the best medicine...
[A good movie, but I obviously don't condone harming anybody]