This chart reveals when visitors to this site say that they last bought heating oil for their home. Click on the chart for a larger view! What is shows is that, unsurprisingly, most oil tank filling activity goes on between November and ... (more)
NOT the funnest topic, but a problem that afflicts many of us. Most of the US citizens I speak to living abroad (that's ordinary people on ordinary incomes) don't file at all. It's not that we're hiding revenue from the US govt: we don't ... (more)
Personal Finance We've never been in financial trouble or hardship, but have picked up some useful pointers in a few specialised areas. Money Transfers One of these is How to Wire Money Across the Atlantic. It certainly isn't straightforward ... (more)
Keeping Those Two Wheels Spinning It's a slippery slope, keeping a bike in good working order. Whenever I've taken charge of a brand new bike, I've generally found it to be maintenance-free for a good year or more, except for tyres and tubes ... (more)
Double Glazing: Is it Worth it? Getting double glazing installed is extremely expensive on even a modest-sized house, so the potential benefits and drawbacks must be understood before you decide what course to take. The instant gain from ... (more)
The Human Donor Giving blood is an almost painless experience, and has no significant side-effects for most people. You should always read guidance from the NHS Blood and Transplant service to be sure, though. So, what are you waiting for ... (more)
We have become used to the idea of the group discounting service provided by BoilerJuice, which hunts for the lowest prices by aggregating consumer requests. Now, you can choose when you need your oil delivered. The typical lead time is ten ... (more)
Nowhere in the Mindstorms NXT 2.0 instruction manual does it say that the screen of the control brick mustn't be hit by a two-year-old. With a pool ball. Not that it would have helped, as our two-year-old can't read! The result is that ... (more)
Our 20-year-old kitchen back door is made of hardwood, and has a hardwood frame too. The door is holding up well, although it needs some TLC after the last decorator did a cheap and nasty over-painting job on it. The frame and step, however ... (more)
Not least because of the helmet stipulation (see below) manufacturers say that their trailers therefore generally aren't suitable until the child is something like 10-18 months (Chariot implies 10 months, Burley say 12 months, some experts say ... (more)
Transferring money from the US to the UK (more)