I need a poor man paper shredder alternative. [more inside]
posted by Eiwalker on Sep 7, 2009 - 28 answers

Another thyroid question... [more inside]
posted by Gonestarfishing on Aug 24, 2009 - 15 answers

How to turn my car's dome light off w/out pulling out the fuse. [more inside]
posted by Eiwalker on Aug 10, 2009 - 14 answers

Short Version: I'm poor and I need therapy in the SF Bay Area. [more inside]
posted by lekvar on Jul 13, 2009 - 8 answers

How thin can floorboards go before needing replacing? We used a belt sander to sand the edges of our Cypress Pine floorboards back to bare timber. It looked fine initially, but now that a couple of coats of polish are down it looks rubbish. [more inside]
posted by ihunui on Apr 30, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm about to graduate with a BS in electrical engineering. I never had an internship, co-op, etc., and I have a kinda crappy GPA. Where do I begin my job search? [more inside]
posted by Team of Scientists on Dec 14, 2008 - 7 answers

Should I get a new catalytic converter for my truck? [more inside]
posted by ZaneJ. on Aug 26, 2008 - 5 answers

What's my best option for finding a cheap-as-dirt computer in the Dallas area? [more inside]
posted by Item on May 22, 2008 - 11 answers

I need to better understand the proposed tax systems. Mainly the fair tax or sales tax versus an income tax. I am writing a paper for school on the viewpoints of TTARA (The Texas Taxpayers and Research Ass.) and CTJ (citizens for tax justice) but cannot gain a clear idea of what each side is proposing. Obviously the republicans want the fair tax, and since TTARA is business minded, I assume they too seek the fair tax, or at least support it. But what is the Dem idea of fair taxation? Do they want an income tax? What is all this talk on CTJ about income tax cuts? I don’t have the patience to sift through all the material so I'm hoping someone can give me a basic idea of the differing positions on the matter. Mainly answer the question of who wants what and why, and who benefits most from each plan.... Also what about the working poor, do they benefit most from an income tax? Etc. Etc.
posted by madmamasmith on May 4, 2008 - 17 answers

Is the organic movement (and its related environmentally-friendly pals) putting pressure on low-income consumers? [more inside]
posted by soma lkzx on Apr 25, 2008 - 18 answers

I have managed to run my once-great credit into the ground. What now? How screwed am I, and for how long? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 30, 2008 - 10 answers

Where can I find affordable and cool looking shoes that I can walk in? [more inside]
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel on Oct 20, 2007 - 21 answers

In a poor Dade county Florida elementary school in the late 70s, on some days they would serve us "Choke Daddy" sandwiches instead of hot food. What was that stuff? [more inside]
posted by seanmpuckett on Jul 21, 2007 - 12 answers

I'm having an issue with my tooth. The root canal I had on my broken tooth in 2005 was supposed to get crowned eventually, but that was $800 that I didn't have. Anyway, the filling that was put in was temporary, and it's been wearing down over the last 2 years... [more inside]
posted by cmgonzalez on Jul 13, 2007 - 6 answers

Any tips on troubleshooting my new slingbox connection? [more inside]
posted by keep it tight on Jul 12, 2007 - 5 answers

Poor college student filter: I'm getting married, and have very little money. [more inside]
posted by tdreyer1 on Jan 5, 2007 - 38 answers

What interesting and nutritious meals can I make out of items regularly given out from the food bank? [more inside]
posted by arcticwoman on Dec 29, 2006 - 15 answers

Should I get married for tax purposes? [more inside]
posted by Dance Commander on Oct 30, 2006 - 26 answers

There aren't enough days in the week for me to make enough money to live. Hm. [more inside]
posted by bash on Oct 27, 2006 - 47 answers

I don't think correctly. [more inside]
posted by herbiehancock00 on Oct 23, 2006 - 27 answers

A trust fund baby messed up and doesn't have any money and/or access to family that took care of them. So now they are working at an average 20something wage. What common lifeskills do they need to learn to take care of themselves? [more inside]
posted by the giant pill on Aug 11, 2006 - 24 answers

Blues Harmonica lessons in Chicago? I live in Old Irving Park. School teacher salary. [more inside]
posted by allthewhile on Aug 6, 2006 - 3 answers

SociopoliticalChatFilter: Why are the destitute down and outs in Vancouver so different to the usual class of beggar/street person I am used to in London? [more inside]
posted by public on May 1, 2006 - 20 answers

Some strange problem with my cable TV. I was connecting a new Sylvania DVR/VCR unit in my bedroom. I used to have a Sony DVD/VCR in that same place and the cable reception used to be just fine. First thing I noticed after attaching the new unit is that the signal quality is very poor. But anyway then I come down to living room which has the Comcast's digital set top box connected to the wall outlet. I noticed there was no signal on TV and box was displaying a 'this channel would be available soon' message. Usually that means some kind of bad or no connection. Before I went up to the bedroom everything was running fine. Did plugging in the DVR/VCR unit blow the cable circuit ? [more inside]
posted by flyby22 on Apr 6, 2006 - 4 answers

Money was tight for Christmas this year, and thus I asked Family and Friends to not get me any gifts, as I wasn't able to reciprocate. Inevitably, some did, and now I feel awful (as I knew I would) that I wasn't able to get them anything in return. So, I'm wondering if anyone can help me work out posthumous gifts I can make on a very tight budget. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 28, 2005 - 31 answers

What's the life expectancy difference in North America between rich and poor? [more inside]
posted by Kickstart70 on Nov 9, 2005 - 7 answers

I'm trying to think of a famous quote. It says something like the best measure of government is how it treats its poor. I think it's famous, or maybe it's just a thought I've had so many times that it feels famous! No luck so far searching Google or the quote sites.
posted by abbyladybug on Sep 5, 2005 - 16 answers

With alot of poor countries around the world getting into more and more dept I was wonder why don't they just print more money as they own their country... [more inside]
posted by spooksie on Aug 19, 2005 - 23 answers

Have we always had poor eyesight? I know, of course you are going to exclaim "yes!", but in the days of people not having glasses, shouldn't natural selection have weeded out people like me? How did we cope without vision correction, from an objective viewpoint?
posted by Keyser Soze on May 28, 2004 - 30 answers