Picking a camera with a flowchart

From: http://www.makethephoto.com/how-to-choose-a-digital-camera/

Buying gas grills

From Consumer Reports

Best rating: Vermont Castings Signature Series VCS300SSP

Late-season sales are offering some of the year's best deals on grills. Our latest tests (available to subscribers) of midsized and small models found five new picks that begin at just $250. But our picky testers also found that you can spend a lot more than $1,000 and get subpar results.

Among midsized grills, A3 Char-Broil, $400, aced our evenness tests at high temperatures and the low settings needed for fish, chicken, and other delicate foods. It also excelled at indirect grilling, when food is placed next to the burners instead of over them for slow cooking, and has stainless construction and side burners. A2 Weber got excellent scores across the board but cost $850. The much less costly A9 Brinkmann, a CR Best Buy at $250, grills nearly as well.

Need more features? The midsized A11 Jenn-Air, $650, combines stainless construction with an infrared side burner and rotisserie for chickens and roasts. Also consider the midsized Char-Broil Tru-Infrared 500 IR 463269411, $650. This model is below our top picks, but it grilled capably and has two cabinets that attach and detach magnetically for added flexibility.

Among small and portable grills the $250 C1 Char-Broil holds the lead; it an update of a model that has topped this group for two years. 

Here's what else to look for:

Don't buy by price

At $1,500, the Urban Islands 4-Burner by Bull is one of the most expensive we tested. Yet this midsized Costco exclusive heated unevenly on high and was merely so-so at low temperatures. The $1,300 BeefEater Discovery Plus 4 Burner 19845 did better in our tests, but a griddle steals one-third of its grilling area, and swapping the griddle for more grilling space sets you back another $90.

Choose features you'll use

Electronic igniters tend to be easier and more reliable than push-button or rotary starters, and wide stainless or coated cast-iron grates usually sear better than narrow ones.

Give it a safety check

Test any grill's sturdiness by nudging it at several points. Be sure the corners or edges aren't sharp. Grip the handle to see that there's enough space between your fingers and the lid. And check the distance between the grates and burners; the greater the space, the lower the likelihood of flare-ups.

Don't be dazzled by infrared

Claims for infrared grills include fewer flare-ups and more-even heating. Some, such as the A3 and C1 Char-Broils, grill food indirectly by transferring heat through a metal plate between the burners and grates. Others use ceramic burners designed to distribute the flames more uniformly. But our top picks include conventional grills that heated just as evenly and resisted flare-ups just as well.

What to look for

• Premium-quality burners
  They're made of high-quality stainless steel, cast iron, or cast brass, and typically carry a 10-year or longer warranty. Keep in mind that burners are a grill's most-replaced part. Those with a long warranty should last longer than the plain steel burners in most grills.
• Heavy-duty grate
  Stainless-steel and cast-iron grates are best; such grates are sturdy and resist rust. Bare cast iron is also sturdy and sears beautifully, but you have to season it with cooking oil to prevent rusting. Porcelain-coated grates are easy to clean and are rustproof--until they chip. Wide, closely spaced bars sear better than thin round rods.
• Quality construction
  Check the cart, wheels, lid, and firebox. Stainless-steel carts with welded joints are sturdier than painted-steel carts assembled with nuts and bolts. Wheels or casters at all four corners make a grill easier to maneuver. And wheels with a full axle are better than those bolted to the frame, which might bend over time. A stainless or porcelain-coated steel lid and firebox are more durable than cast aluminum.
• Electronic igniter
  We prefer an electronic igniter to a push button or a knob, as it tends to work better. Lighting holes for a match or a lighter on the side of or beneath the grill are useful in case the igniter fails.

Other recommendation

Char-Broil Red 463250511 (Home Depot) @ 400

Cheap electronic stuff and accesories

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Holiday tipping

Not sure how much to tip people whose services you enjoy? The rule of thumb is to tip the value of a service. 

• Personal trainers get a session's worth in cash or gift. 
• House cleaners get the cost of one service, though most people tip $35. 
• Lawn people get $20-$50 each. 
• Building staff get $25 to $50, with most people tipping $25.
• Hairdressers get the value of a service, with most folks tipping $20.
• Teachers get gifts with a value of around $20-$30 
• Newspaper carriers typically get around $10-$30, with most folks tipping at $15
• Mail carriers may not accept gift above $20 in value or get cash or cash equivalents, such as gift cards
• Dog walkers get a week's pay. 
• Babysitters of hellions should definitely get tips. A night's service. 
• Delivery guys typically get $5, though if they have to hoist a refrigerator through two flights of narrow staircases, you might want to be more generous. It really, after all, literally backbreaking work.  

Source: USA Today and Consumer Reports. 

It's not being cheap, it's being green

Why buy it when you can rent it? You can also make money on stuff you don't use much. If you're not the trusting kind, you can set up a security deposit. Collaborative consumption is the way to go. People used to do it that way, before we got all huffy about owning our stuff and keeping them locked up, unused in the garage, where our cars can no longer be parked.

Use the marketplace for renting stuff: http://rentalic.com/. They hand out security codes, so you know you're borrowing/lending to the right person.

If you're the more trusting kind, you can try SnapGoods. No security codes there, but it's a more usable website.

Transportation discounts with AAA

Yes, AAA is the automobile association, but it does have lots of discounts on public transit, including:

• Airport parking - Expresso airport in Oakland airport and Sky Park in San Bruno for SFO
• Amtrak
• RV rental
• Hertz
• Penske truck rental
• Supershuttle (though you might be able to get better deals online)

And even tours, like:

• Grand Canyon Railway
• Gray Line