I would say your best bet for getting in on some kind of middle-class career without going to college would be the U.S. Armed Forces. I don't know anyone else who will spend money to train you, walking in the door, to do anything in a down economy. In fact, this would also be a fairly sure-fire way to beat the high…

Yes, you can get an education online. You can get an education at your local public library, if you want to go old school. That's not the problem. The problem is proving it. That's what you need the diploma for. Without it, you aren't likely to even get an opportunity to prove it because your resume will probably…

Yup, Ziploc bags are your friends. Get the cheap ones, and divide those "family packs" of chicken and whatnot into however many portions you need.

Look for markdowns. Our grocery store marks down meat when it's "cook it or freeze it" time.

Like 86 the racing stripe and paint Bengals stripes on it?

I thought since the steel industry went tits up, all the grit in Pittsburgh settled out of the air and washed off the buildings and the streets into the Ohio River. For a gritty blue-collar town, it's awfully clean nowadays, or so I've heard.

Let's see, fuel-sipping European engine swapped out for larger, thirstier, slightly more powerful off-the-shelf American one, chic European styling uglified for the US market, standard cab version omitted, am I missing anything?

I mean, seriously. Cubs fans aren't this depressed about following a losing team, and they haven't won a WS since 1908.

38K miles? 138K is more like it. Well cared-for, sure, but also well-driven. The driver's seat leather will tell you the real story. Dude's on crack if he thinks he can get $5200 for a $500 car.

Who's being scornful? I'm just saying that there are cheaper ways to get that sheepskin than what many in my son's class of '07 did. I think he was one of a very few within his circle who were staying in town to go to school; the rest were all going to these big name private schools that cost 50 large a year. Maybe…

OK, I'll buy that. It all depends on where you are. I was thinking about the ones that fill boxes for Amazon.

Unless "back in the days" was the 1981-2 Reagan recession, which is why the percentage of Army recruits without a HS diploma went from 50% to practically zero in just a few years. I knew quite a few enlisted people with college degrees in my time.

So go to the state school within commuting distance of your parents' house. Most people have those available. If not, feel free to ignore this advice. Go out and buy yourself an older Corolla/Civic in decent shape. It'll pay for itself in a single semester. No meal plan, no dorm fees, just a $50 sticker that lets…

Where are those warehouses where you can get hired at $18/hour? What's in 'em, weapons-grade cocaine?

I take it pointing to Heaven is still allowed. Just once, I'd like to see a player point to the hot place where the gentleman in the red suit with the horns and Count Olaf goatee conducts his business.

That's much better. All these cars back then with the driver-side airbags looked horrible because of them. Big ugly thing in the middle of the wheel - yuck. Nowadays, even Toyota had figured out how to make them compact enough not to ugly up your car.

Don't forget about cars. Unless you just have to have a 2014 model, you should be able to find a deal on whatever car you want. They knocked two grand off my Civic a few years ago because it was August and they had all these cars that had to go. IIRC, everybody was running big sales around the latter half of the…

It's barely new Camry money, but whatevs. $21K is probably just about what it's worth, which is why the voting is running about 50/50.

He had talent, all right. His talent was sucking massive amounts of cash from baseball teams. The Yankees could get themselves a whole new infield for what they were paying this guy.