The way BofA considers themselves a different bank in every state is annoying. We had quite a bit of frustration when my dad retired and moved down to Florida and the local branch insisted that the branch in New York were the only ones who could handle account changes.

@mobycat: Every year or so I ask my CC providers about lowering my interest rate. Most will drop it a few points based on good payment history, but Discover Card is the only one that will adamantly not budge.

Put in a little salt for more flavor

@mullse01: My dad owned the building. :)

@DaveyNC: My utilities have a balanced billing plan that does this. They figure out your average and then adjust the payments so they're equal every month. They also reassess and adjust the bill every 6 months to make sure you're never too far off.

I would avoid using a debit card to pay bills automatically because in the event of a billing error you're less protected compared to using a credit card.

What is one article you would LOVE to write, but for some reason can't?

My dad did this in an "attic" apartment. He put all the stereo equipment in it, and ran the wires out the back through the wall.

I'm not on Facebook (and don't ever want to be), and someone claiming to be me attempted to friend several people I know. My guess is they're going off of my LinkedIn profile, because the people targeted are ex- and current coworkers and not friends. They're using a photo that looks nothing like me (right sex, wrong…

@envador: You are not the only one. I've since learned to read the notification before touching anything.

@geekgirlbarbie: My local Goodwill accepts books.

@Oranges w/Cheese: Hoarders is what did it for me.

Freecycle is also a great way to ditch used paint and other items.

For clothes closets: turn the hangers around. As you wear and launder your clothes, put them back on hangers in the opposite direction.

@zegota: That's only if you take it as cash. The Coinstar I used let me convert 100% of my change to an Amazon gift certificate.

Some carriers are better than others, so know the pet incident history of the airline you're flying with: [www.petflight.com]

???

@spideyk21: Get a .edu address, then have your guests be referrals. You'll max out in no time: [uk.lifehacker.com]

@lfobrien: Looks like there's one outlet (above the paper shredder).

@letiziajm: That's what one or two of the reviews are saying. Neat as it sounds, I'm passing on this.