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NOV. 12, 2010<br />
Frugal families sometimes<br />
splurge on technology.<br />
For example, it might seem<br />
odd for a family on a budget<br />
to have a landline phone and<br />
multiple cell phones.<br />
But there are plenty of<br />
valid reasons to have both<br />
phone services.<br />
If you’re considering<br />
dropping your landline,<br />
think it through.<br />
You might want to cut<br />
back in other areas. More<br />
and more households are cutting<br />
the cord.<br />
Have you ditched your<br />
landline?<br />
Here are a few reasons<br />
why even frugal people have<br />
both.<br />
Spotty service: Many<br />
people can’t get great cell<br />
phone service from any carrier<br />
at their home. In my own<br />
home, I can be in only a few<br />
rooms in the entire house if I<br />
want to use my cell phone.<br />
No contract: Some people<br />
don’t want a cell phone<br />
contract or can’t get coverage<br />
where they live, so they have<br />
prepaid cell phones for when<br />
they’re away from home and<br />
keep their landline.<br />
Privacy: It’s nice to have<br />
two contact numbers. One<br />
reader, Kara from New<br />
Hampshire, shares: “I like<br />
keeping the landline. I prefer<br />
not to have the vet, doctor’s<br />
office, other appointments<br />
and such calling my cell constantly.<br />
Few people have my<br />
cell; they can call my landline.<br />
I never have to worry<br />
about my landline needing<br />
charging, and I never have to<br />
worry there’s an emergency<br />
in the middle of the night<br />
and my cell phone’s out in my<br />
purse in the living room.”<br />
Work: Many jobs require<br />
their employees to have a<br />
cell phone for work purposes.<br />
THE COAST NEWS<br />
Many save by saying sayonara to their landlines<br />
SARA<br />
NOEL<br />
Frugal Living<br />
Beware of shiny,<br />
distracting objects<br />
Dear Writer’s Block,<br />
Hello, how have you<br />
been? By that I mean you’re<br />
a jerk and I believe I’d like to<br />
kick you in the blocky ding<br />
ding.<br />
I think it’s time you and<br />
I had a chat. After more than<br />
a few years of careful deliberation,<br />
I’m going to have to<br />
let you go. Unfortunately,<br />
your days of planting the<br />
closing song from “Dirty<br />
Dancing” or accidentally<br />
doing four crossword puzzles<br />
instead of mowing the lawn<br />
are officially over.<br />
Ah yes, Mr. Blockhead.<br />
Speaking of blockheads ...<br />
was Charlie Brown ever<br />
funny? I understand that<br />
Charles Schultz is a cartoon<br />
culture icon, but I never really<br />
thought “Peanuts” was<br />
entertaining. Reading about<br />
precocious balding kids with<br />
misshapen heads really didn’t<br />
do much for me in terms<br />
of animated amusement.<br />
Anyway, we met somewhere<br />
when I was quite<br />
young and any type of chore I<br />
was responsible for came<br />
due. This would usually coincide<br />
with a cache of marbles<br />
being discovered or perhaps<br />
a comic book I thought had<br />
long since disappeared would<br />
miraculously reappear.<br />
Flash forward to me sitting<br />
in front of a computer<br />
screen with 19 tabs open on<br />
my Internet browser. I think<br />
it’s a delirious mix of ADD,<br />
sloth and procrastination.<br />
Speaking of Sloth ... that<br />
character scared the hell out<br />
of me in “Goonies.” And<br />
Chunk’s family just takes in<br />
this rampaging monster<br />
straight out of a Troma nightmare?<br />
I don’t think so. I think<br />
a fat kid with delusions is<br />
enough parenting responsibility.<br />
Back to browsing. Now<br />
DEL MAR — <strong>The</strong> Rotary<br />
Club of Del Mar launched<br />
November with a host of noteworthy<br />
speakers at the weekly<br />
noon Thursday meetings,<br />
usually held at St. Peter’s<br />
Episcopal Church, 334 14th St.<br />
CORY<br />
WATERHOUSE<br />
Doorman Diaries<br />
Google is by far the most<br />
dangerous addictive drug for<br />
someone with writer’s block.<br />
It starts off as leisurely stroll<br />
among websites to either a)<br />
get inspiration for a column,<br />
or b) do research for an idea<br />
I’d like to write about. <strong>The</strong><br />
truth is it’s actually c) a way<br />
for me to play games, buy<br />
pointless items online (Pasta<br />
Boat anyone?), and catch up<br />
on three different websites<br />
all the celebrity gossip that’s<br />
fit to print.<br />
I have a few suggestions<br />
about where you can go<br />
when you leave here,Writer’s<br />
Block. I think first and foremost,<br />
to that woman who<br />
writes the “Twilight” crud.<br />
Go there. Now. Stop those<br />
books at all costs.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n maybe it might be<br />
a good plan to head over to<br />
the political spectrum and do<br />
your best to cement the idea<br />
that no politician should ever<br />
write a book. We don’t care.<br />
I’m talking to you Alaskan<br />
hockey mom. Mr. Writer’s<br />
Block, it’s come to my attention<br />
that you need help.<br />
You’ve become a needling<br />
parasitic influence that only<br />
exists to exacerbate my<br />
inability to stay on task and<br />
complete a writing project.<br />
I have a responsibility to<br />
my employer, my editor, my ...<br />
hey look! Gummi bears!<br />
“Doorman Diaries” is a biweekly column.<br />
Contact Cory Waterhouse via<br />
e-mail at doorman@coastnewsgroup.<br />
com, or read his blog at doormandiaries.blogspot.com.<br />
Del Mar Rotary hosts<br />
speakers in November<br />
On Nov. 18, the club will<br />
gather at Morgan Run Resort,<br />
5690 Cancha De Golf<br />
in Rancho Santa Fe to hear<br />
from Jen Farrow, on “From<br />
TURN TO ROTARY ON B12<br />
Lover’s Shopping Headquarters<br />
Some people prefer a landline<br />
to be able to fax documents,<br />
too. Another reader,<br />
Saule from Illinois, adds:<br />
“When my husband was<br />
unemployed a few years ago,<br />
he had to call in weekly to<br />
report his job-searching<br />
efforts, etc., to continue benefits,<br />
and that could only be<br />
done on a landline. This<br />
involved answering specific<br />
questions by pressing keys<br />
on the phone.”<br />
Internet service: Some<br />
homes keep their landline<br />
because they have DSL (and<br />
don’t want to pay more for<br />
naked/dry loop DSL, or<br />
maybe it’s not available), or a<br />
bundled package with their<br />
satellite or cable television<br />
provider.<br />
Safety: Many households<br />
have both services for<br />
emergencies. Another reader,<br />
G.G. From Greece, shares:<br />
“We don’t have a landline<br />
anymore, but when I used to<br />
live in the United States, I<br />
lived in a high-crime neighborhood,<br />
and I needed the<br />
landline for my security system<br />
to function (so it could<br />
automatically call for help).”<br />
Many new alarm<br />
systems/services have wireless<br />
service now, but if you<br />
haven’t updated your system,<br />
you’ll need that landline.<br />
Consider 911 emergencies,<br />
too. D.F., an emergency<br />
Naughty Naughty or or Nice this<br />
2130 Industrial Court<br />
VISTA<br />
760.598.5889<br />
dejavuloveboutiquevista.com<br />
B11<br />
911 dispatcher from North<br />
Carolina, adds: “I would<br />
highly recommend those who<br />
choose to have only cell<br />
phones teach their children<br />
their address, along with<br />
directions to the home from a<br />
known location. Many 911<br />
communications centers<br />
have what’s called “phase 2”<br />
capability. This means that<br />
we can locate a cell caller<br />
within a certain number of<br />
feet. Most of the time we are<br />
able to get help to the correct<br />
location (with phase 2). That<br />
is only if you are within that<br />
agency’s wireless reach. If<br />
you are not within that<br />
TURN TO FRUGAL LIVING ON B13<br />
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