I couldn't agree more. I'm thankful that my girlfriend agrees as well. Everyone gets diamonds, its a cop-out in my opinion. I mean, if it's your thing it's your thing, but so many of these rings I've seen my friends give their S/Os just look so uninspired and boring when you slap a diamond on it. Double boring if it's…

Agreed. This business of buying a diamond is the result of people being brainwashed by marketing.

It's a bit less of a factor since De Beers lost its stranglehold on the market (and the mines in Angola were retaken by the government). Before, De Beers had to buy to keep them off the open market, but it has too much competition for it to matter. Additionally, much of its competition likes to keep its mining…

When you are researching the engagement ring for your special someone, all these notes about finding good diamonds and good deals are really good tips for buying the final stone, but please think about the process the stone and gold took to get to the jewelry counter when you're making your decision!

We know a lot of…

Absolutely. I say the same for wedding bands. Is it important to you to have the same wedding band until you die? If yes, then you should go with a precious metal that can be re-sized. Tungsten, titanium and a lot of the other alternatives are extremely inexpensive, but that's because they are meant to be replaced.

Adding on to Ed's Post: Caveat though on alternate stones: Some of them are really, really soft. Check the Moh's Hardness rating for the stone to see if it'll stand up to the beating most engagement rings get. Pearls, moonstones and opals look UH-mazing but if you don't take care of your jewelry (taking it off for…

Rubies, sapphires, and opals are all beautiful, but if you wear an opal ring every day, you'll be lucky if it doesn't chip within a year. It's all about lifestyle choice, but that's another conversation to have with your fiancee to be. If she's going to want to never take off the ring, then some of these stones are…

It's not just the human rights violations that are horrifying about diamonds: http://blog.priceonomics.com/post/457685468…

"How to Get the Best Deal on an Engagement Ring"

Find a wife that thinks engagement rings are silly. Keep her forever.

"Don't tailgate on a snow-bound highway."

No. Just flat out no. Plows are not always out before the snow. Salt either comes too late, or can be washed away by rain that falls ahead of the snow. This makes for longer and more dangerous commutes. There will be deaths, easily topping the 5 in Alabama in larger cities. Yet life doesn't stop for those still alive.…

Try that with any U.S. airline and eat for $250/day.

I just don't hold tiny humans. Problem solved.

How to build a PC.

No love for Zombie Tools?

I don't understand, why would I need wooden bench seats in a zombie outbreak?

Perform CPR

Sew a Button

Change a Tire and Jump Start a Car

This is one I kicked myself for not learning sooner. Thankfully I've never had to change a tire, but you don't want to get stuck on the freeway without at least a cursory knowledge of what you have to do. The YouTube video above should walk you through the process pretty nicely.